Jimmy Buckets vs. Jokic The Joker

I’ve been closely watching the National Basketball Association (NBA) since the 90s when MJ was arguably the biggest show in all forms of entertainment. I fell in love with the pace, aggressiveness, clothing, trash talk, and athleticism that made basketball such a beautiful sport.

Playoff time has long been the holy grail where history is made and remembered forever. I always admired the stories behind the stars creating those beautiful and unforgettable moments. I once thought to myself, how in the world can they perform so well under so much pressure in front of tens of thousands of people in person and millions around the world? I always wondered, what makes super stars so good in those moments?

30+ years later, I learned that real champions are not made in playoff time. They are made during summer break. When most stars have a blast with their friends and families on a random island, the real champions work their ass off at the gym. Preparing for the worst by testing every aspect of their body. Year after year, summer after summer. They don’t stop this routine. They don’t skip leg day. They don’t change their diet. They stick to the plan consistently, with the general belief that it will pay off in due time.

while (!winStatus) {
    hustle();
}        

This is exactly why Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic are true champions, no matter who wins between the Miami HEAT and the Boston Celtics . As we’ve all watched the greatness of Lebron, Curry, KD, and others, they kept working hard, believing they would be the next in line to win an NBA title. 

Ladies and gentlemen – this is the definition of GRIT. You can’t learn it. You can’t teach it. You either have it or not. If you want to win BIG, you gotta do the groundwork in the offseason, knowing it will pay off in those critical moments in the postseason. 

We’re very lucky at DoControl to work with some of the most exceptionally driven individuals who take GRIT to an entirely new level, time after time. Here are a few (very) simple examples you can apply today at work:

• Build yourself a system of follow-ups and reminders so you are always on top of your game. I personally use Slack reminders on important threads, snooze important emails by a week, and schedule myself emails to remind myself of important things.
• Shift between optimization and personalization constantly. Spend time crafting meaningful emails and documents but also use boilerplates and shortcuts to speed up daily execution. Personally, I have about 7-8 text replacement shortcuts so I can quickly type in my first reach out email, calendly link, follow up note template, etc. I’ve also learned how to type up a 1-pager in 30 minutes. You have to be able to comprehend both skills. 
• Crowdsource your knowledge internally to overcome any learning curve in no time. Always assume you don't know anything and somebody else has the answer. I like to send Slack polls to quickly gain insights from team members with minimal distraction. 
• Audit your work consistently and proactively to identify areas for improvement. Learn from others how they overcame the challenges you now face. You are not alone in the game.
• Find a mentor and don’t skip those meetings. I’ve learned that bringing fresh eyes to review your work can reveal details that your peers and/or managers overlook. It’s an excellent opportunity to grow and learn from difficult situations.

Watch the video below from 5 years ago when Jimmy was nowhere near an NBA Playoff Finals appearance. He believed and pushed. If you put in the hard work consistently, it will pay dividends in the end. Keep hustling.

GO JIMMY BUCKETS! HEAT IN 4.