Best-selling author Jon Gordon reflects on legacies, process, and why we need to be uncomfortable in order to grow
Can the strategies and traits professional athletes need to succeed in competitive sports translate into other fields? Best-selling author and speaker Jon Gordon believes so. Based on his work with professional sports teams, world-class organizations, and interviews with top professionals in a wide variety of fields, Gordon writes about these successful strategies in his book Training Camp, a fictional tale that follows Martin Jones, an undrafted rookie trying to make it in the NFL. Jones certainly has the talent to make the team, but a setback forces him to examine skills and traits that don’t come automatic. He meets a very special coach who shares 11 life-changing lessons that keep his dream alive — and might even make him the best of the best, according to Gordon.
Repertoire asked Gordon three questions related to themes from Training Camp.
Repertoire: In your book Training Camp, you examine legacies, and how important it is to empower others. How do we know we’re leaving a worthwhile legacy?
Jon Gordon: We know we are leaving a worthwhile legacy when we invest in others. When we take the time to help people be their best by loving them, serving them, coaching them, mentoring them and caring about them they will become our legacy. We are who we are because of the people who loved and cared about us and those we lead will become who they become because of the way we love and care about them.
Repertoire: Why is “process” just as important as what we produce?
Gordon: We produce what we produce because of the process. The fruit we receive is determined by how we nurture the root. If we focus on the process and strive to be our best each day the outcome will take care of itself.
Repertoire: Why do we need to be uncomfortable in order to grow?
Gordon: A muscle needs to be stressed in order to grow. It’s the same way with us. If we stay comfortable and don’t stretch ourselves to reach higher we’ll stay the way we are and not improve. But if we are willing to be uncomfortable and push ourselves past our comfort zones we will grow and become our best.
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