7.29 Jimmy Johnson: Belief and Work

“Discipline is doing what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to do it—whether you feel like it or not.” - Jimmy Johnson

What if you had the discipline to make all your dreams come true and become the best version of yourself?

Jimmy Johnson is a legendary football coach known for his time with the Miami Hurricanes and Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson is one of the few coaches who have won a national championship in college and a Super Bowl.

He has several good quotes about leadership, discipline, and mental toughness.

Coach Johnson once said,  “Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as he could be, and he will become what he should be,” and “Discipline is doing what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to do it—whether you feel like it or not.”

I love these two quotes together because they demonstrate the power of belief and high expectations, and provide a no-nonsense definition of discipline and what it takes to become what you know you can be.

If you treat someone (yourself) based only on their current flaws, mistakes, or limitations, you reinforce that identity—and they’re likely to stay stuck there. But if you treat them (yourself) based on their potential, as if they are already growing into something greater, they’re more likely to rise to that expectation.

Believe in yourself and the people around you, then do the work required to become who you know you can become.

Question of the Day: What would change if you treated yourself like the person you're becoming, not the person you've been?