Greg Higgins

Full disclosure here: I am a Michael Jordan fan. I am one of those nerds that have read every book I can. I have watched all the highlight films. I know his stats. I am a Jordan fan.

With that being said, it would then be understood that nobody can convince me there is another basketball player that will ever be as good as Jordan. This is something The Last Dance has shown us over the past four weeks. With the conclusion airing this weekend, this ten-part documentary has been everything I expected and then some.

This documentary showed why Jordan was so great. He wanted to win so bad at everything he did, he pushed himself and those around him to be better. He pushed his teammates to work harder and push past the limits they had set for themselves.

People in today’s NBA don’t possess this attitude. Today, players are swapping jerseys after games. Jordan was figuring out his opponents weakness so he could take advantage. I’ll never forget Jordan’s reaction when LeBron James announced he was leaving Cleveland to join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Jordan was asked if that would have been something he ever would have considered in his career. His response:

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team.”

Jordan said many times that he wanted to be the best. He talked about being able to be the best meant beating the best. This is what set him apart. He went through Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons. He beat Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Clyde Drexler, Charles Berkeley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and John Stockton are all names that can be added to the list of superstars Jordan beat to be a champion.

As I relive the career of the most iconic basketball player to ever play the game, I’m reminded of something. Jordan played his career with a simple motto. And it’s something I feel like you and I can learn from in our lives. Whether it’s family, business, relationships, spiritual or whatever, we can all benefit from this simple two-word motto.

It’s simply “Never Settle.” That’s it. See, Jordan constantly found new ways to motivate himself. He was mad because ownership would talk about a certain player like he was a great defender. So, Jordan used that as motivation to prove he wasn’t. A coach from a team they were about to play snubbed him in a restaurant and didn’t say hi. What did Jordan do? Used that as motivation to go out and win the title. He used anything and everything to get an advantage.

I know our circumstances are a bit different and we’re not playing basketball. However, each of us are working and building relationships. And I think its important for us to take the same mindset of not settling. The moment we start to settle in our lives is when we start moving backwards. Life is a constant movement. I’ve learned that if you’re not going forward, you’re probably going backwards.

It’s important to have goals in our life. Every area of our life should have a goal. Don’t get this confused with being content. It’s ok to be content in life but still want to progress. I’m content with my life right now. There are some areas that need to be worked on, but for the most part I’m happy with where my life is. That doesn’t mean I’m settling. I’m constantly looking at how to improve. Constantly looking at the goals I have. That’s moving forward. That’s making progress. That’s never settling.