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Inside the Mind of Michael Jordan
Dissecting 3 insights from MJ at his most introspective.
The Mind, Explored.
December 15, 2024
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Michael Jordan - one of the greatest sporting icons in human history - cultivated an exceptionally high quality of mind and leveraged it to its greatest capacity.
While reflecting on his life over a smooth cigar, MJ offered a glimpse into the qualities that have guided him: acceptance, humility, and optimism.
Below, I have transcribed and dissected the 3 most powerful insights from this conversation to help nurture the same qualities within our own minds.
1) Altering one aspect of the past would unravel the circumstances that have shaped us entirely.
Marvin Shanken: Do you have any regrets?
Michael Jordan: No, I really don’t have regrets. I’m the kind of person who believes that as soon as you start looking back and wanting to change something in your past, you realise something else would have to change too.
MJ explains that no event exists in isolation. Every success can be traced to a lesson learned, and every failure leads to growing stronger. This chain reaction helps us accept all our life events as a whole and refocuses our efforts to the present moment.
What have you felt regretful about? Can you trace how that experience has positively shaped the person you are today?
2) To win, you have to lose.
Marvin Shanken: What about your biggest disappointment?
Michael Jordan: It’s the same idea. To win, you have to lose. To be successful, you need to experience failure. To feel happiness, you must understand disappointment. All those experiences have shaped me into who I am today. They’ve taught me to appreciate the privileges and benefits I have without taking them for granted.
We need opposites to comprehend and cherish our experiences; setbacks provide a scale against which triumphs can be measured, a path which can be worked through towards success, and a reminder of how precious each positive moment is.
When have you experienced loss? Can you discover the win that it gives meaning to?
3) See victory where others see defeat.
Michael Jordan: I don’t live in fear, but I’m mindful of the consequences of my actions. For example, when I decided to play baseball, people called it a failure. They focused on my batting average and strikeouts. But for me, it was the best decision. It reignited my passion for basketball and gave me a deeper appreciation for the platform I had. It also taught me about the dedication of minor league players, earning $1,500 a month but loving what they do. That perspective made my later successes even more meaningful.
Trust your own experience and inner voice instead of adopting the public’s more shallow perspective. Michael’s stint in baseball taught him more about himself than staying in basketball ever could. This period gave him a rich perspective to appreciate the platform he had in the NBA and reignited his love for the game of basketball.
When have you experienced failure in the eyes of society? What hidden lessons did it teach you?
In this conversation, Michael Jordan and Marvin Shanken share practical wisdom to apply in our own lives. You can watch the clip of the video here and listen to the whole conversation here.
Who else’s mind would you like to explore? Write back to let me know.
Until then, enjoy what it’s like inside of Michael Jordan’s.
Written by Dr Manu Sidhu 🩺
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The Mind, Explored. is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information in this newsletter or materials linked from this newsletter is at the user’s own risk. The content of this newsletter is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of health care professionals for any such conditions.
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