The Stairs

Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, google him if you’ve not heard of his greatness, took the stairs over the elevators. Okay, I don’t know that for sure, but maybe.

What I mean though, is that there is almost always, in any situation, an easy way out. You could quit, you could cheat, whatever it may be. That option is there, and is usually readily available. But for the people who want to be successful, they know the hard work is necessary. For them, there is no elevator, or easy way to the top. Even if they were to get to the top with the elevator, I doubt they would be satisfied, because they invested so little in the achievement. But the ones who take the stairs, know the value of hard work, know that they have achieved something worthwhile.

Jordan said about returning to basketball after a brief baseball hiatus; “I forgot how to take the stairs.” He was talking about putting in the required hours to be the best. He had, maybe unknowingly, relaxed a little in his efforts to be the best basketball player he could be. He had, after all, just won his third straight NBA title. Maybe he was content with his ability and his effort. But baseball changed that for him. He was once again a beginner. I pretty athletic beginner, but still someone wh had something to prove. He knew if he was to succeed with baseball, he was going to have to take the stairs. There was no elevator to the Big Leagues. He would have to take it one stair at a time, put in the work.

I absolutely believe that this fundamental change in mindset for him was a major reason why he won three more championships when he returned to basketball. He wasn’t going to take the elevator. He still had work to do, still had skills to improve upon. Still had something to prove.

Think about that for a minute, the best basketball player in the world, still needing to prove something. Still taking the stairs.

What if we all had that mindset? That we weren’t done yet, that we still had to prove ourselves. What if we still took the stairs?

What steps are you taking?

On to the next one.