Michael Jordan - Driven From Within

Read this book today and was surprised by how awesome it was -- Michael Jordan "Driven From Within"

Total read time -- about 2 hours.

Insights -- phenomenal.

One of my personal irks with the self-improvement industry is that gurus will talk about their success principles, but oftentimes the only thing they've been successful at is "teaching how to self improve".

(I do NOT consider Tony Robbins to be in that category btw -- the level to which he's taken his ability to communicate is an accomplishment in and of itself.)

Michael Jordan isn't coming from that angle. The dude produces results.

His principles have lead him to world championships, olympic gold medals, multi million dollar businesses -- all that fun stuff.

Jordan drops true wisdom in this book that I personally relate to on multiple levels.

A lot of these principles comprise the CORE OF WHO HE IS and so to anyone looking to get "better with women" I'd recommend checking it out -- having these sorts of core principles is what MAKES YOU AN ATTRACTIVE PERSON.

Anyway, some highlights........

Jordan talks about "authenticity" and how in his business he isn't looking to bend to the latest fad. This is a core of who he is a player, a businessman, and a human being.

He's constantly looking for his products to be a reflection of who he is, and believes that by constantly asserting who he is that he'll have more longevity as a company.

This is pretty much exactly how I've always envisioned Real Social Dynamics, and if you want to understand our principles upon which I found RSD you can pretty much take them verbatim out of Jordan's book.

I found myself constantly nodding my head while reading this like "HELL YES.... Someone f-ing GETS IT."

Seriously, reading this type of stuff is like a RAY OF LIGHT for me in the absurd business world that I operate in -- with all the overhype and crossover from fad to fad that I see in other people's ventures.

I swear that stuff is like MIND POLLUTION for me, like I see it and think "Should I be operating like that?" and then I remember that I've got to be ME and stay true to what I've set out to accomplish.

Authenticity is the PRECISE mindset that's gotten me whatever level of success with women I've had -- which to me means knowing WHO YOU ARE and ASSERTING it rather than trying to be something you're not.

All this is covered beautifully in the book. I found myself really impressed.

Jordan also talks about how he deals with the pressure of taking a crucial shot....

He says that so long as he's done all his preparation on a day to day basis, he knows that there's nothing MORE he can do other than to trust the instincts, and that he's EARNED the right to be in the position he's in to potentially miss that important shot.

This echo'ed in my mind like "YES" I feel the exact same way -- if I mess up something big, I know I've earned the right to be the one to do it.

That's why I've never been afraid to STEP UP and be the man -- I KNOW I've put my time in, I know I've paid my dues, and when I step up I never think about what could go wrong because I know who I am and that nobody could do it better.

As long as you've LIVED IN THE RIGHT WAY you can carry yourself with full confidence and integrity because you KNOW THAT.

I also really love what Jordan has to say about leadership and leading by example.

There are some very powerful passages about how he carried himself onto the court during key games while being one-foot-in-the-grave sick, and how you can talk a big game but at the end of the day PEOPLE WATCH WHAT YOU *DO* NOT WHAT YOU SAY and you've got to be delivering those results.

He talks about how in the future there probably won't be many players who play a game injured or sick, and how when a kid comes out to see him play, that kid might not have experienced what it's like to be thrilled by Michael Jordan -- as well as all sorts of other ways that he tunes his mind up to find motivation to play at the highest level night after night.

I've personally found a lot of correlation like this in my own life and projects.

People will ask me how I've been able to have such a strong team at RSD and how I choose the people who I'm going to bring into the organization.

What's funny to me is that I'll meet guys who have incredible skill and talent, but they have no "heart" or ability stay motivated to teach that killer program on a week-in-week-out basis.

Like, every dude I meet is usually talking about how he's got his "inner game" all geared up to be a millionaire and how we should all be millionaires automatically.

I laugh at this because I look at these guys and I know for a fact that they will NEVER be millionaires.

To me it's like, even with RSD, which I LOVE and would DIE FOR, I've never considered it to be my final project or achievement.

I've never been in it for money, and I've always brought my best to everything I've been involved with because I know that EVERYTHING IS PRACTICE FOR THE REAL SHOW.

I'll hear all these guys talking like "I slack off at my job because it's not MY OWN business, and someday when I have my own business I'll be a big pimp millionaire blah blah blah"

But see, YOUR WORK IS A REFLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE.

EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING.

It's a reflection of YOU.

It's a STANDARD that you set for yourself -- like THIS WORK REPRESENTS ME.

That's why anything less than 100% is like DEATH.

I don't get "tired". I could never fall off. I seriously don't know what it could be like to feel those sorts of emotions.

Even way back when I worked for FREE at another company, you go dig up those old reviews and it's like "This dude isn't as good as the star, but damn he busts his ass."

Before workshops I still get butterflies in my stomach. I've psyched and a bit delirious and have a hard time articulating sentences -- like I'm stupid until I see the attendee for the weekend and -pow!- I'm articulate again and ready to go.

People don't "get" this...

They think that when they start their own businesses they'll suddenly have a SHIFT in their thinking and suddenly go from being a slacker to starting to take pride in their work.

But I've always had that. Always.

IT'S ALL PRACTICE FOR THE BIG SHOW.

If you work at a McDonald's, be the best you can be at it.

If you work as a garbage man, be the best you can be at it.

Seriously, this was the last advice my grand mother gave me before she died and it's the most important thing anyone ever told me.

She said "Whether you're prime minister or a garbage man, be the best you can be at it."

This is so SELF EVIDENT to me, and it's well articulated by Michael Jordan, a guy who I feel a kinship with, despite that I'm not a sports fan, but simply in terms of how he represents in this book.

Your work -- that's a part of the value that you bring into this world.

It's your LIFE FORCE. A part of the living energy that will outlast you after you're gone.

I see guys who don't "get" this and I want to shake them out of it. Like "SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

This is LIFE and it's passing you one minute at a time.

All that will matter when you die is that you LIVED YOUR VALUES and TOOK IT ALL IN.

Your rep. Your lifestyle obsession. Your cashflow. These are only MEANS TO AN END.

Ultimately true happiness is found through authenticity, living your values, and bringing one hundred percent to everything you do.

MJ, at least in this book, seems to have a grasp of this stuff.

If you aren't at that level (which most of you reading this aren't), take this as a call to WAKE UP.

Go grab "Driven From Within" and start learning from people who know how to bring the TRUTH to what they do.

That's all I've got to say on the topic.

Check it out and enjoy... :)


Tyler