Grenz's Bookshelf: Relentless by Tim Grover

Tim Grover is the Personal Trainer of NBA stars Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Michael Jordan.  After Kobe injured his Achilles tendon I heard Grover being interviewed on a sports talk show and he really emphasized the psychology of training.  Because of that I thought I would order and read his book Relentless:  From Good to Great to Unstoppable.  Here are seven takeaways: 

1. “Success isn’t the same as talent. The world is full of incredibly talented people who never succeed at anything. They show up, do what they do, and if it doesn’t work out, they blame everyone else because they believe talent should be enough.” 
2. “The fact is you can’t train your body – or excel at anything – before you train your mind. You can’t commit to excellence until the mind is ready to take you there. Teach the mind to train the body.”
3. “Do. The. Work. Every day, you have to do something you don’t want to do. Every day. Challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, push past the apathy and laziness and fear. Otherwise, the next day you’re going to have two things you don’t want to do, then three and four and five, and pretty soon, you can’t even get back to the first thing. And then all you can do is beat yourself up for the mess you’ve created, and now you’ve got a mental barrier to go along with the physical barriers.”
4. “There are no secrets. There are no tricks. If anything, it’s the opposite: Whether you’re a pro athlete or a guy running a business or driving a truck or going to school, it’s simple. Ask yourself where are you now, and where you want to be instead. Ask yourself what you’re willing to do to get there. Then make a plan to get there. Act on it.”
5. “Most people are the lion in the cage. Safe, tame, predictable, waiting for something to happen. But for humans, the cage isn’t made of glass and steel bars; it’s made of bad advice and low self-esteem and bullshit rules and tortutred thinking about what you can’t do or what you’re supposed to do.”
6. “Lots of people start things; few are able to finish. Why? They don’t trust themselves to get to the end. They start thinking about everything that cold go wrong, second-guessing their choices, listening to others instead of listening to themselves.”
7. “Everyone can handle pressure. Most people choose not to because it’s easier to stay safe in the comfort zone.”