I have been a fan of NBA basketball since I was young. Among NBA legends, Michael Jordan is probably the only timeless superstar who commands awe, admiration, and respect from people around the world.
In the last twenty years, no basketball player has achieved the kind of cult status like Michael Jordan. His ability to turn around a critical situation in a game is just amazing. The superman image of him has created a deep inspiration for millions of fans.
Michael Jordan embodies the strength of character of tenacity and determination, which has had a tremendous influence on the personality development of countless teenage fans since his time. Despite his calm demeanor, Michael Jordan has an immense inner drive that never lets up. Deep down, he was not one to challenge. His ability to get up and take down an opponent was simply impressive, to which he said, “Unless they challenge me, they don’t see the bad streak in me.”
Michael Jordan’s indomitable competitive spirit has made him the most feared and respected opponent by other NBA players. In the lyrics of “Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” Jim Crose described Michael Jordan most aptly: “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit in the wind, and you never face Michael Jordan.” After losing to the Bulls in 1998, New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari said, “Playing against Michael is like playing blackjack against the dealer. You’re not losing.” When Madonna was asked about her favorite player when she was at the Bulls game, she said: “MJ is an incredible human being. A god. If I could come back as someone else, I would be like him.”
It’s interesting to know what Michael Jordan’s enormous drive to win is attributed to. One argument is that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and the devastating trauma of the event gave birth to an extremely competitive spirit that refuses to be defeated. This mindset has made him one of the best athletes in the world.
In psychology terms, “drive” is synonymous with “arousal.” It is an emotionally charged state that results from a competitive nature. The degree of arousal or drive, to a certain level, is the key determinant of the quality of performance, whether in sport or business. Beyond that optimal level of arousal, any further boost will only cause performance to drop. This state of optimal performance lasts for a short time, during which the mind, body, and emotional system are closely aligned. It is a transcendental state where one is optimally situated between elation and depression, boredom and excitement, and relaxation and anxiety. In sports, athletes who are in such peak condition are known to be “in the zone.”
It is the state of “flow” that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi spoke of in his book: “Flow”. He said: “Flow is a highly focused state of relaxation concentration that removes everything else from consciousness. It is the state of self-actualization or transcendental behavior that is euphoric.”
Michael Jordan’s success lies not only in his extreme competitiveness, but also in his ability to quickly and frequently enter the flow state, or be “in the zone.” When he’s “in the zone,” he can jump with amazing ease, hover in the air with gravity-defying grace, and never miss a shot. It is the state of euphoria that is addictive. He knows it when he’s there. When he is in the flow state, he simply becomes unstoppable. This is the same experience you’ve probably had in the past when you find yourself doing everything with amazing ease, as if some divine forces were helping you. In fact, it is the divine force that is within you when you are in that optimal state of mental, physical and emotional alignment.
How can we enter such a state of flux?
Being competitive is important, but by itself it doesn’t help, because the competitive drive can only induce anxiety. Anxiety to a certain level is key to achieving the flow state, but any excess will not lead to optimal performance. There’s a fine line between understressed and overstressed. The secret to optimal performance lies somewhere in the middle. According to the psychologist, maximum achievement potential is reached when a subject performs under a moderately stressful situation.
In sports, optimal performance is seen when two opponents are in close proximity. Any significant gap in the opponent’s competence will not bring out the best in the other. For the elite athlete, his closest rival holds a special place in his personal quest for excellence. His closest rival is that unique person who has the ability to push them to do their best.
Michael Jordan’s Key Success Factors provide valuable insight into what we can all do to achieve success in our lives:
– Find something you are really passionate about;
– Engaged in a great deal of hard work honing basic skill sets and enjoying it in the process;
– Strengthen your mental power with determination and resilience;
– Learn to harness the state of relaxed but intense concentration through regular meditation practice and creative visualization, which improves the alignment of your mind, body, and emotion, and enhances your ability to enter the flow state.
If you can experience the flow state regularly in the activities you do, winning itself is no longer important, although you will inevitably perform at your best. It is the euphoric state of being in the flow that brings immense joy and fulfillment to life, in your moment-to-moment experience. This is the essence of a successful life.
