An Apparently Stupid Comparison Between a Famous Guy and a Known Platform

9 brilliant strategies about writing through MJ’s inspirational life.

It’s hard to be indifferent about the image of the best basketball player of all time, isn’t it?

Michael Jordan was and still is an intense and ultra-competitive human being, but also a genuinely generous person.

If you can transport competitiveness and generosity to anything in your life, you can also do it on Medium.

I always imagine Michael asking himself over and over: Am I the best version of myself?

So, I decided to do an exercise of helping you understand MJ’s powerful mindset from an early age.

I promise you, it’s not going to be the kind of article where you’re going to finally find all the Hows existing on earth.

Just travel with me on Michael Jordan’s mindset, and let’s start to make a simple question:

How did he do it?

Another question may follow the first one: how can I do it too?

I think the answer is inspired by Jordan’s life.

1. The Power of Rejection at a Young Age

During all his youth, Michael was passed over, by his father, in favor of his older brother. That attitude made him a very revolted kid.

However, instead of using his rage against his brother or his father, he challenged them. On the basketball court, the young Jordan was beaten over and over by his older brother.

Usually, these facts would cause insecurity and anxiety in young kids.

In MJ, it just fired him up.

His intelligent way of dealing with adversities made him the person he is today.

You must use rejection as a tool to engage again and again with increasing power.

I would pay to see the first time Michael beat his older brother- that magical moment changed forever the history of basketball.

Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.- William Arthur Ward

2. Repetition Is the Mother of Skill

Thousands and thousands of shots did MJ made in those endless training sessions.

The only way to perfection was to multiply shots until your body reaches perfection.

If you repeat a movement thousands of times, you’ll be able to retain 80 to 90% of the mental design of that same movement.

Now, imagine if you could do that in writing?

Imagine you work to exhaustion on your grammar. You practice every day by writing thousands and thousands of words, and after that, you read them over and over to retain what you wrote.

Tony Robbins says that if you activate your central nervous system while learning and writing, you’ll reach over 95% of overall success.

If you want more success, you must FULLY OWN the results you get in your life. This includes the results you’re currently getting and the results you want to get.- Benjamin Hardy

Reality is a bitch.

You’ll not be a top writer if you don’t work your ass on writing.

You have to write a piece of content every day, even if you don’t publish it.

You have to read something every day — all 365 days of the year- with no excuses.

Do you believe that Michael Jordan did what he did by smoking cigarettes and drink alcohol late at night?

Do you believe Tim Denning, Sinem Günel, or Tom Kuegler reach top writing on Medium because they were born with a magical gift?

Don’t full yourself.

3. You Don’t Find Willpower, You Create It

When your body hurts, you’re tired, you feel exhausted, but still, you have a job to do; that’s when you see who’s the badass.

First the Detroit Pistons, then the New York Knicks- both teams found out one way to stop Michael Jordan. They beat on a skinny Jordan’s ass all night.

What was his response?

The next time you went to the gym in the early morning, you’d see Jordan pushing up- getting his body prepared for war.

He wanted to win, no matter what. Whatever the pain was, he was committed to being the best.

If you want to win as a writer, you have to push yourself to the limit.

You must learn to love writing. If you can’t find a way to love it, stop- this isn’t the place for a money grab. Go learn to code or study IT, for example.

This game is for badass writers and people who want to become badass writers.- Sean Kernan

There’s no way out.

It’s an arduous journey for those who genuinely love writing.

4. Set Goals and Crush Them

Michael Jordan wanted to be World Champion.

At that time he didn’t realize he would have to overtake the Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers, the Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics, and the Isiah Thomas’s Detroit Pistons.

Soon he knew the toughness of the game. He felt the arms from Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman, the elbows from James Worthy and Sam Perkins, and the shoulders from Kevin McGale and Robert Parish.

Don’t think Medium is not competitive because you’re wrong.

Do you want to earn $500 per month? $1,000 per month? $7,000 per month?

You have to feel all the pain in the process like MJ did. You have to cry of despair.

I’m telling you this as a beginner because I’m also feeling the pain, and I’m embracing it.

That’s the only way you can transform yourself into a real writer.

You want to be the best, right?

Set goals. Remember what MJ said in the first moment? He wanted to be a world champion.

What do you want to be? What are your goals? Have you set them already?

5. Brand Is the Story. Design Is Storytelling.

After everybody understands the dimension of Jordan’s game, all the big brands wanted a piece of him.

Who wouldn’t want a cool smile, energy, and style?

Who wouldn’t wanna be like Mike?

Yet, MJ knew how to take advantage of his brand. Jordan was always much more than a basketball player. He was a very intelligent businessman.

Michael was very good at math, but he also loves money, and he knew exactly what he has to do to be famous.

Nike won the race and the Air Jordan brand was born.

Michael knew from the beginning the power of design. So, he was constantly evolved with the designers and the marketing team. He knew from the start that another fortune was waiting for him.

As a writer, you’re also your own brand. A tiny brand when you’re at the beginning, but don’t you think you’re not creating a brand because you are.

Someone, somewhere at the face of the earth, is reading your content.

Start with one article, then two, twenty, one hundred- one thousand. Never underestimate the power of your brand.

For a recruiter in today’s historically tight talent market, a personal brand carries a lot of weight.

If you aspire to be a professional writer, an open door may be just around the corner.

Your reputation will be on a plate for everyone to see, 24/7.

Don’t miss the opportunity. If your brand is solid, you’re a winner.

6. Don’t Use Social Media to Impress People. Use It to Impact People.

One thing I am sure of- if you don’t show up, nobody will know you exist.

MJ had the big door open when he entered the NBA, the most extensive showroom to a basketball player.

However, you and I are just two regular people trying to survive. Nobody knows us.

Nobody knows about our new writing project. Even our best friends will never know about our writing skills if we don’t share them.

That’s where social media can help you. If you’re willing to share your thoughts and experiences with the world, and if that impacts the readers, you’ll have something to build for the long term.

Show yourself everywhere. Invest in Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn in the first place. Then show yourself on Pinterest, Instagram, and Quora, in a second moment.

Each of these platforms has its way of showing your work effectively.

You have to study each one of them. Youtube will give you a huge help on that. There are thousands of tutorials for you to learn all the techniques.

You just have to start. Show yourself to the world because the world needs you.

7. The Family Is One of Nature’s Masterpiece

It must have been tough for Michael to have all the attention of the world and still make time to be with his family.

Jordan’s mother was always there for him, especially in bad times.

Mothers have this ancestral power within them. It’s difficult to explain, but I feel it with my mom, too.

Moms have to do everything at home (my father was always very supportive too). They have to educate their children, and beyond that, they have to work hard at their jobs.

The real pillar of society has always been Mothers.

Jordan felt it his entire life. Even now, at middle age, he finds his mother’s opinion has the strongest one.

Medium is also a family. You don’t imagine how much top writers support each other.

Even in my short period on Medium, I found some writers with who I identify myself.

Jan Vajda and Jordan Mendiola were two writers that I clearly identified myself with. We have something in common- the love for running.

We’ve already shared some ideas and we follow each other with kindness. I clearly believe that the Medium community is made of strong friendships and family culture. We can’t be with each other in person, but we absolutely see each other every day on the platform.

8. I’m Not in Competition With Anyone but Myself

Michael Jordan was one of the most competitive athletes I’ve ever seen.

Yet, MJ also ignited my willpower with his mind games.

When some player or coach spoke about Jordan in a mean way, especially if it was something about him or his team, they should prepare themselves for hell.

Very smoothly, without yelling, the routeway was already drawn by Jordan, even before the game started.

As a young kid, seeing Michael on the screen of my TV and learning all I could about his mind games, I grew up knowing that no one would have the right to deny me the path that I decided to follow.

For those who dared to interfere in my path, they would have to be prepared for what awaits them. And I assure you, there were not good experiences.

If you have someone trying to convince you that you can’t succeed on Medium, make sure that person doesn’t forget the day they opened their mouth.

Nobody can take your dreams away.

Your dreams are private property.

9. Life Is a Sport. Make It Count.

This subheader is a Nike quote.

The power of branding is what makes the difference between a good company and a bad one.

Colin Finkle studies branding for a decade and a half and he said:

The power of branding is its ability to influence behavior. We brand companies so they can build reputations. A brand with a good reputation elicits more purchases, advocacy, donations, shares, etc.

Although, what happened with Michael Jordan and Nike was a little different.

It was a perfect marriage.

Philip H. Knight, Nike’s CEO, was a dreamer. He loved sports more than anything else, and fortunately for all of us, these two guys, Philip and Michael, had always done well throughout the ages.

Building a brand it’s a herculean task, especially if you’re building your own brand by yourself.

You have to learn everything from scratch.

Yet, there are many good tutorials on the internet, and you have so many good examples of writers that nobody heard of. However, with time and tons of dedication, they did it.

On Medium, you have a bunch of inspiring writers:

You have more fantastic writers, and each one of them has a brand- a strong brand.

Now, I have something significant to tell you.

These girls and boys, one day, were at the same spot as you are right now.

What do you say you keep writing and fighting for your unique space on Medium?

Final Thought

I’m a beginner on Medium, so, what do I know about this platform, right?

You don’t have to know about Medium, you have to know about life. Nothing we conquer comes from standing still.

Michael Jordan played injured, with flu, tired, but he always gave everything he could.

The same happens everywhere- on Medium, on your job, in your family, or with your friends.

Yet, there is a certain pattern, but you already know what there is, don’t you?

Sign up for my email list and join the happiest readers on Medium. (This is where you get exclusive access to my daily activities, experiences, and daily thoughts)

Summarize