I recently had the chance to travel down to Chicago for a conference with my business partner, Aaron, to listen to a keynote speech by Tim Grover. If you don’t know who Tim is, here’s a quick bio on him:
For more than 35 years, Tim S. Grover has been the preeminent coach, mentor, and advisor to sports’ greatest icons, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, Maxx Crosby, Aaron Donald, Paul Skenes, Jason Heyward, 7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, and hundreds of champions in the NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, tennis, and the Olympics.
Tim has had the opportunity to be around some of the best of the best in the sport world, and it is always fun to hear about his experiences and borrow a few nuggets of inspiration to incorporate into your life. One thing that stood out to me was the way Tim went about his time with us at the conference. You could tell from his intensity and intentionality how much effort and thought he put into each word. He wasn’t going to waste a second of his time with us, and we strive to do the same with you at Rise.
I wanted to share with you a few of my biggest takeaways from his speech. He said so many eye opening things, so I’ll narrow it down for you as best as I can.
My Top 3 Takeaways
1. No complaining
“We are going to fail. We’re going to hurt. We’re going to suffer. But the worst of all these things is complaining about it. Nothing is worse for the heart or mind than complaining about it. Complainers attract complainers. Complaining does not change the outcome. All it does is give more complaining energy off. If you feel like you have something to complain about before walking into work, walk out the door and walk back in. Who are you hanging with? Are they complainers?” - Tim Grover
I think this quote speaks for itself. This is a rule I have always tried to follow, and hearing Tim speak about it was a great reminder for me. After hearing Tim talk about this, I had to do some self reflection and found many areas of my life where I could eliminate complaining. So my challenge to you is the same: take a few moments to think about your day and pick out those areas where you find yourself complaining. Ask yourself some hard questions.
Are the people I’m hanging with complaining?
Are they gossiping?
Am I complaining?
Am I gossiping?
What would my spouse or closest friend say about it?
Once you find a few areas where you do complain, create a plan for yourself to nip it in the bud. You will be a much happier person for it.
If you have not read the book “The No Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon, it is worth the read.
2. Make a contract with yourself
“You have to form a relationship with your decisions. When you break a contract with yourself, there is nothing worse. So much confusion in life causes this. You need clarity. Control the confusion. Attack the day with clarity. Take confusion, control it, get clarity, then attack it. Make a contract with yourself and don’t break it. Hold yourself accountable. Make a deadline about it. Don’t let anything deter you from doing it. Become obsessed with it. This will put pressure on you and pressure is a privilege. Pressure tells you who you can become. Difference in “competing” and “winning,” are the teams who can handle the pressure.” - Tim Grover
I don’t know if there is a more fitting rule than this one when it comes to health and fitness. You have to make a contract with yourself and stick to it. Coach Megan often says “keep the promises you made to yourself.” Figure out what you want to accomplish. It could be as simple as showing up to workout three times a week. That’s a perfect contract. Now hold yourself accountable and don’t break it. As Tim said, don’t let confusion deter you. Get clarity on what you want and on what you need, and then attack it.
3. Heartbeats
“Most valuable commodity you own is your heartbeat. You don’t have time. You are not guaranteed the next heartbeat. If you think the price of winning is too high, try the price of regret.” - Tim Grover
This quote from Tim’s speech resonated the most with me. Tim had us all stand up and put a hand on our chest and feel a few heartbeats. Then he said, “remember that every heartbeat you just felt, is one less that you will have in your life.” This hit home for me as someone who lost his dad when he was 52 years old. We have all experienced loss at some point, but this reminder of limited heart beats was a great kick in the butt for urgency. It is vital to live your life with that perspective because it pushes you to be urgent. Urgent to call and tell your mom you love her. Urgent to apologize for your wrongdoings. Urgent to join the gym and take care of yourself. Urgent to shoot for the big scary goal you have. Urgent to spend time with your family. Urgent to ponder those big questions like life and death. Urgent to pray. Urgent to enjoy the people you have in your life. Go out and be urgent and intentional. We only have so many heartbeats. Make them count.
9 More Bonus Nuggets from Tim
“Have a childlike moment every single day. Not a childish moment. They energize you. There has to be joy in everything. Joy in the wins, losses, and taking a chance.”
“If you aim at nothing you hit nothing. Set unrealistic expectations and expect to achieve them.”
“Thank the people who help you become successful. Call and thank them.”
“Question something about yourself every single day.”
“The weights lift you, not you lifting the weights. The weights allow you to deal with adversity, deal with failure, deal with pain. The weights lift you.”
“Great has completely different requirements than good.”
“Everything starts with doubt. But what happens after doubt? You start to believe.”
“If you think the price of winning is too high, try the price of regret.”
Get started with Rise today.