21 lessons from michael jordan for entrepreneurs

2 1 L E S S O N S F R O M M I C H A E L J O R D A N F O R E N T R E P R E N E U R S

@LMALMANZA

Based on Nick Scheidies of IncomeDiary

#1 Trust the Game

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

““Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the

effort, good things will be bestowed upon you.”

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”

#2 Master the fundamentals

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the

fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

#3 Learn from your parents

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.”

#4 Practice every Day

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.”

#5 School is important

#6 Don´t let people get in your head

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“It’s heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody… I can’t live with what everyone’s

impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do.”

#7 Know how to respond to failure

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Failure makes me work even harder.”

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“ I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning

shot… and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I

succeed.”

#8 Fear is an illusion

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it’s an illusion to me.”

#9 Just do it

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

#10 You can´t do it alone

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“If you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins

games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

#11 Excellence speaks for itself

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Let your game be your promotional or marketing tool.”

#12 Expect your shots to go in

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… when you think about the

consequences you always think of a negative result.”

#13 When it´s time to change, change

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“I just needed to change. I was getting tired of the same old activity and routine and I didn’t feel all

the same appreciation that I had felt before and it was tiresome.”

#14 The best marketing is simple

#15 Demand the best from your team

#16 Learn to harness your emotions

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Heart is what separates the good from the great.”

#17 Love what you do

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Love is playing every game as if it’s your last!”

#18 Play business like a game

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

#19 Forget the past

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.”

#20 Ignore the future

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Never think about what’s at stake… If you start to think about who is going to win the championship,

you’ve lost your focus.”

#21 Embrace the present

– M I C H A E L J O R D A N

“Live the moment for the moment.”

Pics: flickr