He Was 5'11" And "Too Short". (The Michael Jordan Story)

Michael Jordan went from being cut from his high school basketball team to becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history with a net worth of $3.8 billion. First of all, you know, I wear the number because of Mike.

I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, but I did everything Mike did, man. I wanted to be Mike. I think the greatest player is Michael Jordan. Michael in particular, he's become my big brother. He's been my big brother since I first came in the league. I'm the best player in the world.

In 1978, Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team in his sophomore year. At 5'11", he was considered too short for the team, especially in a time when most successful basketball players were over 6 feet tall.

Leroy Smith was a guy— when I got cut, he made the team on the varsity team. But he started the whole process for me because when he made the team and I didn't, I wanted to prove not just to Leroy Smith, not just to myself, but to the coach who actually picked Leroy over me. I wanted to make sure you understood you made a mistake, dude.

The coaches also felt that he lacked the experience and consistency needed for the team. But instead of giving up, Michael worked even harder. After being cut, he practiced every day. He focused on improving his shooting, his dribbling, and his footwork. Michael spent hours in the gym after school shooting hundreds of baskets from different spots on the court.

I just think that I have the habits of working hard. I always been taught that to reach a goal that in life that you want, you have to work hard to get to it.

He worked on his jump shot, making sure his form was right and even practiced using his left hand to become more versatile. By the time he was a junior, his hard work paid off. He made the team and became one of the stars. Michael didn't just work hard, he worked smart, always finding ways to get better. After high school, Michael Jordan went on to play at the University of North Carolina. In his freshman year, he made a huge impact when he hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 National Championship game against Georgetown. This moment helped put him on the map as a rising basketball star. I just saw him on a Sunday afternoon and I thought, oh gosh, this may be the best 6-foot-4-inch high school player I've ever seen. The tie, 18. Shot, Jordan! Michael Jordan! The big turning point in his career came in 1984 when he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls into the NBA. The Chicago Bulls pick Michael Jordan of the University of North Carolina. His hard work and dedication paid off as he became a 6-time NBA champion and a 14-time All-Star. But his journey wasn't easy. Michael missed almost 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, and missed 26 game-winning shots in his career. Despite all that, he never gave up. Each failure made him stronger and pushed him to try even harder. As Michael Jordan said, "I failed over and over again, and that's why I succeed." I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.

I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.

The only way you fail is if you quit. If you've been here before, drop a hashtag #Believe in the comments below so I can feature you here in a future video. And if you're new, welcome to Believe Nation, the only channel that helps you believe in yourself daily, one video at a time.

Believe.

Most people know the name Michael Jordan. They see the shoes, they see the logo, they see the billions of dollars, they see the highlights of him flying through the air with his tongue out, they see the 6 championship rings. But they do not see the pain. They do not see the doubts. They did not see the thousands of hours spent alone in the dark gym when nobody was watching. You see the glory, you do not see the story. And the story is where the lesson is. Michael Jordan is not just a basketball player. He can actually be a blueprint for how to dominate in your life. He is a master of mindset. He is a business genius who turned his name into a global empire worth over $3 billion. But it almost never happened. The greatest player of all time started as a failure. So let's go back to 1978. Michael is a sophomore in high school. He tries out for the varsity basketball team. He's skinny. He's only 5'11". He looks at the list of names posted on the gym door. He scans The list up and down. He looks for Jordan. It's not there. He was cut from the team. He went home, locked his door, and cried until he fell asleep. It was the worst feeling of his life. He wanted to quit. He wanted to hide. But then something changed. His mom told him to go back and discipline himself. She told him to work harder. That failure became his motivation. Whenever he tried in a workout, he visualized that list without his name on it. He visualized the pain. He grew to 6'3" the next summer, but the height didn't matter. As much as his heart. He made the team the next year. He didn't just make the team, he dominated. That was the first lesson: failure is not the final ending. Failure is just feedback for how you can get better and how you can keep going and how you can keep growing. Michael went to the University of North Carolina. He was a freshman. He was a nobody compared to the upperclassmen at the time, but he had a secret weapon. He was the most competitive person on the planet, definitely on the basketball court. One of his teammates was named Buzz Peterson. Buzz was a high school star. Michael jealous of the attention that Buzz got, so Michael decided to outwork him. He didn't just try to beat him in games, he tried to beat him in life. If the team had a meeting, Michael beat him there. If they were eating dinner, Michael finished first. He turned everything into a competition. He told Buzz that he would never lose to him. That's the mindset of a champion. You do not turn it on and off. You're always competing. You're always trying to get better. Michael hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championships. That shot gave him extra confidence and made him realize he could perform on under pressure. He wasn't afraid of the big moment. He craved it. In 1984, Michael was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were a terrible team at the time. They were losing money. Nobody went to the games. Michael, though, he changed everything for them. But before he played a single game, he made the most important business decision of his life. He needed a shoe deal. Michael wanted to sign with Adidas. He loved their shoes. He didn't like Nike. He thought the soles were too thick. He wouldn't even meet with Nike. He told his agent he wasn't going. His mom, Dolores Jordan, stepped in again. She told him he had to go listen. She made him get on the plane. That meeting changed sports history. Nike offered him a deal that was unheard of. They offered him $500,000 a year for 5 years. But that wasn't the best part. His agent, David Falk, negotiated something special. He got Michael a royalty. This means Michael would get a piece of every shoe sold. This was rare back then. Athletes just got paid to wear the clothes. It He didn't own the business. Michael Jordan became a partner. Adidas passed on him because they liked tall centers. Converse passed on him because they already had stars like Magic Johnson. Nike took the risk. They expected to sell $3 million worth of Air Jordans in 4 years. They sold $126 million in that first year alone. This is a massive lesson for entrepreneurs. For you guys watching, do not just trade your time for money. Look for equity. Look for ownership. Look for a piece of the action. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike in one year today than he did in his his entire NBA playing career. That is the power of ownership. But money doesn't win championships. The Detroit Pistons did. In the late '80s, the Pistons were the bad boys of the NBA. They had a strategy called the Jordan Rules. The rule was simple: if Michael Jordan drives to the basket, knock him down. Do not let him jump. Hit him hard. Make him feel pain. For 3 years in a row, the Pistons beat the Bulls in the playoffs. They bullied Michael. They beat him up physically and mentally. After the 3rd loss in 1990, Michael was devastated. Most players, they would have complained. Most players, they would have asked to be traded somewhere else. Most players would have said that this was unfair. Michael Jordan did not complain. He changed. He adapted. He realized his body was too weak to take the hits. He needed armor. He started working with a trainer named Tim Grover. They created the Breakfast Club. They met every morning at 5 AM or 6 AM. They lifted heavy weights. This was new. Back then, basketball players didn't lift weights because they thought it would mess up their shot. Michael didn't care. He he needed to be stronger. He gained 15 pounds of muscle. He transformed his body. He prepared himself for war. The next year, the Bulls met the Pistons in the playoffs again. The Pistons tried to hit him. Michael didn't move. He bounced off of them. He drove to the hole. He dunked on them. The Bulls swept the Pistons 4 games to 0. So if you're facing a wall in your life, don't just keep running into it. Stop. Look at the wall. Figure out what tools you need to break it down. Maybe you need to learn a new skill too. Maybe you need to hire a coach. Maybe you need to wake up earlier and get to work. Michael Jordan didn't win until he changed his strategy. This led to his first 3 championships. He was on top of the world. But then tragedy struck. In 1993, his father, James Jordan, was murdered. Michael was heartbroken. His father was his best friend. His father was the one who stuck his tongue out when he was focusing, a habit that Michael copied. His father always wanted him to play baseball. So at the peak of his career, Michael Jordan retired from basketball. He walked away from the fame and the money. He went to play minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons. The media laughed at him. They put him on the COVID of magazines and told him to go home. They said he was embarrassing himself. He was struggling. He wasn't hitting the ball well. But Michael didn't care about their opinions. He was doing this for his dad, and he was doing it for the challenge. He was the best in the world at one thing, and he was willing to be a beginner at something else. It takes guts. It takes a lot of courage. Most people are too afraid to look stupid. They stay in their comfort zone. Michael embraced the struggle. He arrived at the baseball field early. He took extra batting practice until his hands blistered. He started to get better. By the end of the season, he was improving. He showed us that it's okay to pivot. It's okay to try something new. It's okay to be a beginner again. Your identity is not what you do. Your identity is who you are. Also, if you want to take real action after this video, I made a free worksheet just for you. It covers the top lessons from today, gives you space to write your biggest takeaways, and helps you build a simple action plan. It's 100% free. Just click the link in the description to go grab it. I'll see you there. In 1995, baseball went on strike. Michael decided it was time to come home. He sent a fax to the news stations. It had two words: I'm back. The world went crazy. He returned to the Bulls, but he wasn't in basketball shape. He wore the number 45 because his number 23 was retired. He played well, but he wasn't Michael Jordan yet. In the playoffs, they played the Orlando Magic. Michael made a mistake at the end of the game. Nick Anderson stole the ball from him. The Bulls lost the series. Nick Anderson said, number 45 doesn't explode like number 23 used to. Michael took that personally. He took everything personally. He went back to the gym. He was filming the movie Space Jam that summer. He made the movie studio build him a full basketball court court on the movie set. He called it the Jordan Dome. He filmed the movie all day, then at night he invited the best players in the NBA to come to the set and play pickup games. He used them to get back into shape. He used them to scout their weaknesses. He worked harder that summer than he had ever before. The next season, the Bulls went 72-10. It was the best record in NBA history at that time. Michael swept the awards. He won the MVP, the All-Star MVP, and the Finals MVP. He proved everyone wrong. He reclaimed his throne. But the journey wasn't over. In the 1997 Finals facing the Utah Jazz, Michael faced a different kind of enemy. It wasn't a player, it was illness. It was Game 5. The series was tied 2-2. It was a critical game. The night before, Michael ordered a pizza. He was the only one who ate it. In the middle of the night, he woke up shaking. He was sweating. He was throwing up. It was food poisoning. His trainers told him he couldn't play. He couldn't even sit up in bed. He was dehydrated, but Michael knew the team needed him. He dragged himself to the arena, and in the locker room, he lay on a table with the lights off. His teammates looked at him and thought it was over. He looked like a ghost. But when the game started, Michael stood up. He started slow. He was weak. But as the game went on, he found the reserve of energy that nobody understood. He forced himself to focus. He scored 38 points. He hit the big 3-pointer to seal the game. At the end of the game, he collapsed into Scottie Pippen's arms. He had given everything. This is the flu game, and it teaches us about resilience. It teaches us that your mind can override your body. When you think you are done, you're probably only 40% of your potential. You can push further. You can dig deeper. There's always more in the tank if the why is strong enough. Michael was a demanding leader. He was not always nice. There's a famous story about Steve Kerr. Steve Kerr is now famous as a coach, but back then he was a role player on the Bulls. And in practice, Michael was talking trash. He was pushing everyone. He was being aggressive. Steve Kerr decided he wasn't gonna take it. He fouled Michael hard. Michael got mad. He punched Steve Kerr in the face. Michael was kicked outta practice. He went home and felt terrible. He realized he had gone too far. He called Steve Kerr and apologized, but that moment changed their relationship. Michael respected Steve because Steve stood up for himself. He trusted Steve. Years later in the '97 Finals, the game was on the line. The Utah Jazz expected Michael to take the last shot. In the huddle, Michael told Steve to be ready. He said, "If they double team me, I'm giving it to you." They double teamed Michael. Michael passed the ball to Steve Kerr. Steve hit the shot. The Bulls won. Michael learned that he couldn't do it alone. He needed his team. He pushed them hard because he wanted them to be tough enough for the playoffs. He led by example, but he also learned to trust Great things are never built by one person. You need a team, but you also need to hold that team to a standard of excellence. Then came 1998, The Last Dance. Everyone knew the team was breaking up after the season. The coach, Phil Jackson, was leaving. Pippen was leaving. This was the final run. Game 6 against the Utah Jazz. Again, the Bulls were down by 1 point with 40 seconds left. Karl Malone had the ball for Utah. He was their best player. Michael didn't just defend his own man. He saw Malone wasn't paying attention. Michael snuck up behind him and swiped the ball. He dribbled down the court. He didn't call a timeout. He wanted the flow. He stared down Bryon Russell. He drove hard to his right. He stopped on a dime. He gave a little shove— maybe, maybe not. Russell slipped. Michael rose up. He held his follow-through. The ball snapped through the net. The Bulls were champions again. It was the perfect ending. It was a moment of pure mastery for Michael. It was the result of thousands of hours of preparation for one single second. That shot wasn't luck, it was his muscle memory. It was in his zone. When you are so prepared that you don't have to think, you just react. That is what you are aiming for in business and in your life. You want to be so good that when the pressure hits, you go to your training. Michael Jordan retired again, but his entrepreneurial journey was just heating up. He became the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He became the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA team, and he kept building the Jordan brand. Today, the Jordan brand brings in billions of revenue for Nike every year. Michael collects a check for every pair sold. He built generational wealth. He didn't just play the game, he changed the business of the game. He proved that an athlete could be a CEO. He proved that your personal brand is your most valuable asset. He protected his image. He chose his partners carefully. He demanded quality in everything that he put his Jordan name on. But looking back, Michael Jordan wants you to know one that he is not a superhero, he's a worker. There's a commercial he did that explains it best. He says, I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed. So we see the wins, we forget the losses, we forget those 9,000 misses, we forget the nights he went home a loser. You're gonna miss shots too, you're gonna lose games You're going to get cut from the team. You're going to have the business deals that fall apart. You're going to have days when you have the flu. That is not the time to quit. That is the time to work. Michael Jordan had talent, yes, but his talent was his capacity to work. His talent was his refusal to accept being average. His talent was his ability to turn anger and failure into energy. He used every slight, every insult, every loss as motivation to continue to get better. When George Carle walked past him at a restaurant without saying hello, Michael used it to destroy his team the next day. When the media said he was too old, he used that too. What are you using for your motivation? Are you letting your haters stop you, or are you using them to help make you stronger? Michael Jordan's life asks you a question: how bad do you want it? Do you want it bad enough to wake up at 5 AM? Do you want it bad enough to practice when you are sick? Do you want it bad enough to change your body? Do you want it bad enough to fail 9,000 times? Most people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to pay the price. Michael Jordan paid the price every single day. He didn't just want to win, he needed to win. It was who he was. And you can have that too. You don't need to be 6'6", you don't need to have a 40-inch vertical jump. You just need to have the mindset. The mindset that says, I will not be outworked. The mindset that says, I will learn from my mistakes. The mindset that says, I believe in myself when nobody else does. From being cut from the high school team to owning a team, from being rejected by Adidas to building the biggest shoe brand in history, from losing to the Pistons to winning 6 rings. It's a journey of constant improvement. It's a journey of belief. He showed us that greatness is a process. It's messy. It's hard. It hurts sometimes. But it's worth it. So look at your own life. Where are you getting cut? Where are you losing? Don't cry about it. Go to the gym, go to the office, go to work, build your skills, build your armor, and build your team. And congratulations, you're one video closer to who you're meant to be. Believe. Now let's learn Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret trick to staying motivated. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a secret trick that he used to stay motivated even on days he didn't feel like training. He believed that each training session should be recorded so you can see if you are improving. So he recorded the exercises, sets, reps, and weights to make sure he improved slightly each session. Then he reviewed his notes weekly to set small, specific goals for the next sessions, like adding 5 pounds to a lift or improving his posing symmetry. In interviews, he said this habit helped him visualize progress and stay disciplined even when his motivation dipped. He visualized success constantly, imagining his muscles growing, his career advancing, and his future self achieving his goals. As Schwarzenegger said, first create little goals for yourself. Don't worry about the big broad stuff for now. Focus on making improvements and banking achievements one day at a time. Track your progress with a journal. Arnold's first key to staying motivated was tracking his progress. He wrote down every workout, every exercise, how many sets and reps, and what weight he lifted. Why is this so important? Because progress you can see, even if it's small, fuels your motivation. When you record your results, you have proof that you're getting better bit by bit. Keeping a workout journal helped Arnold see his improvements from one session to the next. For example, if he did 10 reps at 200 pounds last week, that's 11 reps this week. That's a win. By writing it down, he could actually see those small wins. This gave him a sense of accomplishment each time. It's like giving yourself a little high five for getting stronger or faster. Tracking progress also helped him find patterns and plateaus. If a certain exercise wasn't improving over a couple of weeks, Arnold would know it from his notes. That meant he could adjust his plan intelligently whenever he hit a plateau. In other words, his journal told him what was working and what needed change. This approach turned training into a science experiment. You try, you record, and you learn from the data. How can you apply this? Start a simple journal for whatever goal you have. It could be workout, studying, or any skill you want to develop. Write down what you did and one thing you improved. Over time, you'll build a visible track record of your growth. Whenever you feel unmotivated, you can look back and clearly see how far you've come. Those notes can reenergize you on tough days, just like they did for Arnold. Set small, specific goals for improvement. Arnold didn't just write things down, he used his notes to set small, specific goals for next time. Every week, he would review his training journal and decide on tiny improvements for the upcoming sessions. For example, he might aim to add 5 pounds to a lift, or do one extra rep, or improve the symmetry of a posing routine. These goals were clear and attainable, not huge leaps all at once. Why small goals? Arnold found that setting little targets kept him focused focused and motivated without feeling overwhelmed. Big goals like winning the championship or dramatically changing your body can take a long time to reach. If you only chase the big goal, you might get discouraged by how far away it is. Instead, Arnold broke the journey into bite-sized pieces. Each small goal he achieved became a banked achievement, proof that he was moving forward. In his own words, first create little goals for yourself. Focus on making improvements and banking achievements one day at a time. By concentrating on one training session at a time, he built momentum. Those small wins added up week after week. Setting specific goals also gives you something tangible to shoot for each day. It answers the question, what am I going to accomplish today? Rather than vaguely saying, I want to get fit or I want to be a champion someday, Arnold would say, I will increase my bench press by 5 pounds this week, or I'll practice posing 10 minutes longer to improve my form. Those were concrete actions. When you achieve them, you get a jolt of confidence and motivation to set the next goal. You can do this too. Think of a big goal that you have and then break it down. What is a tiny step you can take today or this week that moves you forward? Make it specific. It could be writing one page of your book, learning 5 new vocabulary words in a language, jogging for an extra 5 minutes. Write it down and aim for that. Achieving these mini goals will give you a constant stream of success experiences. And over time, the big goals won't seem so far away because you're steadily closing the gap. Review your progress and adjust. Another big part of Arnold's secret was his weekly review habit. He didn't just record the data and forget it. He actually looked back at his notes every week to see how he was doing. This review helped him celebrate his progress and also make changes to his plan when needed. It's a powerful habit to keep you on track. When Arnold sat down at the end of the week with his training journal, he asked himself, did I improve Did I hit my small goals? What can I do better next week? By reflecting regularly, he kept his training from becoming autopilot. It kept him engaged and mindful of his journey. If he noticed he was improving steadily, that boosted his confidence. If he noticed he fell short on a goal, he didn't get upset. He used it as information to tweak his approach. Maybe he needed more rest or to change an exercise. This way, he was always learning and adjusting rather than getting stuck in a rut. Adjusting your plan is important because life is not always linear. Maybe you set a goal to run 3 times a week, but you managed 2 runs this week. Why? Maybe your schedule was hectic or you were recovering from an injury. In your weekly review, you can figure out what happened and then adjust. Arnold did this with his bodybuilding. If one strategy stopped giving results, he would switch up his exercises or nutrition based on what his notes told him. He treated setbacks as feedback, not failures. So for you, try having a quick review for yourself. Maybe every Sunday, take 10 minutes to think or write about your progress. Ask what went well this week and what didn't. Congratulate yourself on the small wins you achieved, no matter how tiny. Then decide on a few specific actions for next week, your new small goals. This habit keeps you moving forward continuously. It's like course correcting a ship on a long voyage. Small corrections each week will keep you on the path to your big destination. As Arnold showed, progress tracking and regular adjustment ensure that you're always improving and never stagnant. Visualize your success clearly. Arnold was a huge believer in the power of visualization. He didn't just go through the motions of training. He constantly imagined his future success in vivid detail. He would visualize his muscles growing bigger and stronger with each rep. He pictured himself winning trophies on stage and becoming the best in the world. He even visualized life beyond bodybuilding, seeing himself as a Hollywood action hero. And successful in his career long before it happened. This mental movie played in Arnold's mind all the time, and it kept him excited and driven. Visualization is like a rehearsal for success. Arnold has said that you need to make your vision so clear that you can practically touch it. In fact, he advises you to make your vision so sharp that it's as if you tattoo it to the inside of your eyelids, meaning you should see your goals every time you close your eyes. When you visualize, you are reminding yourself why you're putting in the work. On days when he didn't feel like working out, Arnold would recall those mental images of standing victorious on the Mr. Olympia stage or a movie set. That image would spark his inner fire because he knew each workout was a step towards making that picture real. To use this trick, take a few minutes each day to picture yourself achieving your own goals. Make it as detailed as possible. How will you feel when you reach it? What will it look like? For example, if your goal is to ace an exam, imagine yourself opening the results and seeing a great grade, feeling proud. If your goal is to get healthier, imagine playing sports with ease or seeing your doctor smile and say, great job. Arnold often hung up photos of his heroes like bodybuilding champion Reg Park on his wall for inspiration. That way, every day he was reminded visually of what he aimed to become. Remember, visualization itself isn't magic. You still have to put in the work. Arnold is very clear about that. Just dreaming isn't enough. But when you combine hard work with a clear vision, you become unstoppable. Visualization turns your long-term goals into something you can emotionally connect with right now. It builds your self-belief. If you can see it in your mind, you start to believe, yes, that will happen. That belief then fuels your motivation to do the hard work today. And Arnold's life is proof of this. He formed a vision of what he wanted to be, kept it front and center, and worked for it relentlessly. And he achieved it. You can do the same with whatever dream drives you. You. Stay disciplined. Show up every day. Motivation comes and goes, but discipline stays. Arnold knew this well. He engineered his habits so that even on days when his motivation was low, he would still show up and do the work. How? Through all the strategies that we've already discussed on this video. Having a routine of tracking, setting goals, and visualizing made his training almost automatic, a part of his lifestyle. He didn't wake up each day and wonder, huh, 'Oh, do I feel like working out today?' He simply did it because it was on his plan. That is discipline—doing what needs to be done even when you don't feel like it. One of Arnold's famous sayings from his newsletter is, 'Champions don't wait for perfect. Champions show up every single day.' In other words, you can't just train or work hard only on the days you feel great or energized. You have to commit to consistency. By logging every session and aiming for small improvements, Arnold made sure he had a reason to train every day. Because each day was an opportunity to hit a new mini goal or to beat yesterday's self. He treated it like a game where he was competing against his past performance. And this mindset can help remove feelings of dread or procrastination. You start focusing on the process, today's task, rather than a distant outcome. Discipline is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. Each time you push yourself to stick to your plan, whether it's doing your workout, finishing your homework, practicing an instrument, You are training your discipline muscle. Arnold trained his discipline muscle every day in the gym. Over time, showing up became a habit, not a struggle. Consistency was his superpower. Even if he felt lazy or tired on a particular morning, his habits would kick in and carry him through the workout. And once he got started, the motivation often kicked in again when he saw progress. You can build this kind of consistency for yourself too. Start by committing to a schedule or routine that aligns with your goal. It could be 30 minutes of practice each day or writing 200 words daily or whatever suits your dream. Make it non-negotiable, like an appointment with yourself. Some days you'll be excited to do it. Other days you won't. But if you do it regardless, you'll notice something. It gets easier and more automatic and you'll respect yourself more for it. Small disciplines repeated lead to big results. Arnold's entire career was built on daily disciplines that accumulated into championships and success. And finally, don't forget to give yourself credit for being disciplined. It's not easy, and not everyone does it. When you stick to your plan on a tough day, that's a victory in itself. It's proof that you are in control of your destiny, not following your temporary feelings. Arnold once said that what stops most people is not the body but the mind. The mind always fails first, not the body. The secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you. Keeping your mind focused on your goals and routines like he will ensure you keep going. Discipline bridges the gap when your motivation is low, and as you practice it, you'll find you need less willpower to get things done because it becomes a habit. Champions show up every day, and by being disciplined, you're building yourself into a champion in whatever you are pursuing. Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret trick for motivation wasn't a one-time magic pill. It was a set of habits and mindsets. Track your progress, set small daily goals, visualize your success, and stay consistent. These tools kept him improving and pushing forward even when he didn't feel 100%. The amazing thing is that you can use the same tricks in your own life. You don't have to be a bodybuilder or a movie star for this to work. So whether you're trying to get better grades, learn a new skill, improve your fitness, start a business, the principles are the same. Measure your progress, aim for small wins, keep your eyes on your vision, and be disciplined in your routine. By following Arnold's example, you build confidence and momentum. Each day becomes an opportunity to be a little bit better than yesterday. And even if some days are hard, you have a system in place to carry you through. Remember, success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. Arnold became a legend through consistent improvement, not overnight success. So start building your own tracking habit and set a goal for today. Visualize where you want to be. Take that next small step towards it, and one day you'll look back and be amazed at how far you've climbed. Now let's learn how Nike founder Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his dad and changed the world. Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, was $50,000 in debt, facing bankruptcy, and on the verge of losing everything. But instead of walking away, he fought through the darkest moments of his life and turned his passion for running shoes into one of one of the most powerful brands in the world. Today, Nike is worth billions. Phil Knight started with a dream: bring high-quality Japanese running shoes to America. He borrowed $50 from his father, which was all he had to get started. But things weren't easy. He faced rejection after rejection. His first company, Blue Ribbon Sports, barely scraped by, struggling to make enough money to stay afloat. Knight spent sleepless nights stressing over how he was going to pay off bills. He even considered giving up. The pressure was immense. Knight was living in his car, fighting for every sale. He was deeply in debt, $50,000 in the hole, and yet he couldn't bring himself to quit. With no way out, he took a massive risk, rebranding the company and betting everything on Nike. It was his make or break, and it worked. Nike wasn't an instant success, but Phil Knight's relentless drive, passion, and belief in his vision turned it into the into the global powerhouse it is today. The swoosh became a symbol of perseverance, and Nike became a brand that inspired millions around the world. Phil Knight was broke, overwhelmed, and ready to quit, but he didn't give up. He kept going. What about you? When things get tough, will you walk away? Will you keep fighting for your dream? Your breakthrough could be just around the corner. Keep pushing. Phil Knight's life reads like a Hollywood script. In the late 1960s, he was $50,000 in debt and sleeping in his car, fighting to save a tiny running shoe business. Banks kept calling his loans, his Japanese supplier threatened to cut him off, and his dream was on the edge of bankruptcy. Yet Knight refused to quit. He gambled everything on a new brand called Nike and transformed a shoestring startup into a global powerhouse worth billions. Today, Knight and his wife Penny donate billions of dollars to cancer research and education. And this video dives into Knight's journey from shy accountant to co-founder of Nike, the struggles he went through, his leadership lessons, and the legacy he's building through philanthropy. By the end, you'll understand how persistence, passion, and purpose turned a $50 loan into a global empire, and how you can apply those lessons to your own dreams. Roots: Portland Kid with a Dream. Phil Knight was born in Portland, Oregon on February 24, 1938. His father owned the Oregon Journal newspaper, so Phil grew up surrounded by stories but rarely received pocket money. His father believed children should earn their own way. At Cleveland High School, he ran middle distance track but wasn't a star. He enrolled at the University of Oregon in 1955 and joined legendary coach Bill Bowerman's track team. Bowerman tinkered with shoes to shave seconds off his runners' times, and this obsession with performance ignited Knight's curiosity. After graduating with a business degree in 1959, Knight served a year in the U.S. Army and then attended Stanford Business School. At Stanford, he wrote a paper arguing that Japanese running shoes could undercut dominant German brands because of lower labor costs. This assignment planted the seed for Nike. It taught Knight that business plans can start as simple ideas and that passion for a hobby like running can become a business. A $50 loan and a trip to Japan. Knight didn't jump straight into business though. After Stanford, he sold encyclopedias and worked as a CPA, but the shoe idea wouldn't leave him alone. He borrowed $50 from his father and flew to Kobe, Japan in 1960. 1962. There at the Onitsuka Tiger factory, he cold-pitched a distribution deal for Tiger running shoes in the United States. Knight hadn't even chosen a company name, so when an executive there asked for his firm, he blurted out Blue Ribbon Sports. He returned home with sample shoes and mailed a pair to his old coach, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman loved the lightweight Tiger design and offered to join Knight as an equal partner. Each man invested $500, and Blue Ribbon Sports Sports was born. For the next several years, Knight juggled two jobs. By day, he worked as an accountant and taught at Portland State. By night, he sold shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant. He drove the track meets up and down the West Coast, hustling one pair at a time, often sleeping in his car. Bower modified the Onitsuka shoes and created the Tiger Cortez, which soon became a hit among runners. Blue Ribbon Sports doubled sales almost every year, and by 1969, revenue dropped $1 million. Knight finally quit his day job and committed to the business full-time. Near collapse and the birth of Nike. Success didn't come easily. By 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports was selling millions of dollars worth of shoes but still owed banks large amounts of money. Onitsuka threatened to cancel his distribution agreement and was looking for another partner. Banks refused to extend credit because Blue Ribbon lacked equity. Faced with losing everything, Knight made a bold decision. He would create his own brand and control his supply chain. A young employee named Jeff Johnson dreamed of the name Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Knight wasn't sold on it but adopted it temporarily. He commissioned graphic design student Carolyn Davidson to create a logo. She drew the famous swoosh and was paid $35. Years later, Knight gave her a diamond ring and 500 shares of Nike stock to thank her. Bowerman used his wife's waffle iron to experiment with rubber soles, creating a lightweight, grippy tread that became the first bespoke Nike shoe. Blue Ribbon sued Onitsuka for breach of contract and won the right to keep selling the Cortez and receive $400,000 in damages. Nike launched in 1971 with its own manufacturing, bolder marketing, and relentless hustle from its founder. Even then, the company almost died several times. US Customs once demanded $25 million in import duties shoes, which would have bankrupted the business. Knight fought the case for 3 years, helped change the law, and eventually settled for $9 million. Sprint to the top. Air Jordan. Just do it. And going public. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nike exploded. The company signed Olympic runners, introduced cushioning innovations, and went public in 1980, giving Knight the capital to expand. Bauman's waffle-soled shoes gained traction with everyday athletes. Athletes. In 1984, Nike signed a rookie basketball player named Michael Jordan, who became the face of the Air Jordan line. Advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy coined the slogan "Just Do It" in 1988. It tapped into the company's ethos of pushing beyond comfort zones. Nike also faced criticisms for labor conditions in its overseas factories. In the 1990s, activists accused the company of using child labor and sweatshops. Knight initially denied the impact but later overhauled Nike's supply chain by implementing independent monitoring and raising raising the standards. Personal loss and humility. Now, success didn't shield Knight from tragedy. In 2004, his son Matthew died in a scuba diving accident. Knight later said the loss aged him and changed his outlook on life. He funded the Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon in his son's memory. This personal pain deepened his commitment to philanthropy and reminded him that no amount of wealth can prevent heartbreak. It also reinforced one of his most famous quotes: "The cowards never started, and the weak died along the way. That leaves us." Facing grief, Knight kept going. Giving back. Billion-dollar philanthropy. Knight's career evolved from selling shoes to giving away billions. In August 2025, he and Penny announced a $2 billion gift to the Oregon Health and Science University's Knight Cancer Institute. Institute. The donation is the largest single gift ever to a U.S. university. The Knights said they were excited about the transformational potential of cancer research, diagnostics, and care, and believed a self-governed institute within OHSU would accelerate progress. OHSU's director, Dr. Brian Drucker, noted that the Knights' earlier $100 million gift in 2008 and $500 million pledge in 2013 helped revolutionize cancer detection and treatment. This new gift will expand clinical trials, provide nutrition and counseling services, and set a new benchmark for philanthropy. But beyond cancer research, the Knights have poured money into education and community development. They donated more than $500 million each to the University of Oregon and Stanford University. In 2023, they pledged $400 million to Portland's 1803 Fund to revitalize the historically Black Albina neighborhood. Through the Knight Foundation, they give away roughly 3% of Nike's pre- tax profits annually, supporting youth programs like the Girl Effect and scholarships. Forbes estimated that the couple have donated over $4 billion to charity and still own roughly 20% of Nike. Phil Knight's philanthropy shows that success becomes meaningful when it's shared. Leadership lessons: What the Shoe Dog teaches us. Knight's memoir Shoe Dog and his interviews reveal powerful leadership lessons that apply far beyond athletic Number 1, find your passion and stick with it. Knight sold shoes out of his car for years because he loved running. Passion fueled him through the rejections, long nights, and the debt. Find the cause that energizes you. It will sustain you when all these obstacles come at you. Next, hire people who share the mission. Many early Nike employees were runners or track enthusiasts united by a sense to build better shoes. Hiring people who align with your purpose creates a culture where innovation thrives. Next, empower your team. Knight believes that leaders shouldn't micromanage. He once said, don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you. Trusting talented people led to breakthroughs like the Waffle Sole and Air Jordan. Next, persist through failures. When customs demanded $25 million, when Onitsuka tried to squeeze him out, when the banks were pulling his loans, Knight kept going. His motto: the only time you must not fail is the last time time you try. Every failure is a lesson on your path to success. Next, give back. Building a company is only half the story. Knight's philanthropy shows that true fulfillment comes from investing in others and leaving the world better than you found it. Now it's your turn to just do it. Phil Knight's journey from a $50 loan to a $2 billion gift shows us the power of perseverance. He began with a simple idea, a borrowed $50 and a trunk full of shoes, and he overcame debt, rejection, legal battles to create Nike, a brand synonymous with victory. Along the way, he lost a son, he faced public criticism, and fought with the ethical complexities of a global supply chain. Yet he never stopped moving forward. So the next time your dream feels impossible, remember Knight's words: let everyone else call your idea crazy, just keep going. If you want to see the incredible story of Lionel Messi, check the video right there next to me. I think you'll love 11. Continue to believe, and I'll see you there. At age 11, Lionel Messi was a talented soccer player in Argentina, but he was tiny for his age. Doctors diagnosed him with a growth hormone disorder that stunted his growth.