The Magic of Showing Up on Your Bad Days
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The Magic of Showing Up on Your Bad Days
On June 11, 1997, Michael Jordan stepped onto the court for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between his Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz.
Jordan was reportedly very sick, but chose to play given the critical importance of the game to the series, which was tied 2-2 at the time.
Throughout the game, he looked visibly unwell, with a fever over 100 degrees, he experienced extreme fatigue, dehydration, and body aches.
But despite his condition, he played 44 of the 48 total minutes, scored 38 points, and had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. With under one minute left, he hit a 3-pointer to seal the win for the Bulls.
The game—now commonly known as Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game”—has gone down in NBA lore as one of the most impressive, clutch performances in history.
While I do vividly recall watching this game with my dad (I was 6-years-old at the time!), I’m not just sharing this as a fun trip down memory lane…
Last week, I flew to South Africa to give two talks in front of a few thousand people at a big corporate event.
When I landed in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening local time, my body was utterly wrecked. I had co-hosted a retreat the week before and rolled that straight into a 15 hour flight across the world to get there in time for my event.
I woke up the morning of my talk with a bad headache and congestion. I had a choice to make: Tell the organizers I couldn’t do my talk that day, or, lock in, show up, and do my best to execute.
In moments like this, I always remember my 6-year-old self watching in awe as Michael Jordan showed up in Game 5 with the season on the line.
So, I made my choice: I took some Advil, ordered a big pot of tea with honey, did some breathing exercises, and walked onto the stage.
One hour later, I was done. I was exhausted, but it had gone as well as I could have imagined. I’d be willing to bet no one in the audience even realized I wasn’t feeling my best.
As I was sitting in my hotel room later that day reflecting on the experience, I had a thought:
Wait until they see me on a good day.
You see, there’s a mental shift that happens when you prove to yourself that you can feel terrible and still find a way to win. When you show up on a bad day and still execute.
There’s a magic in showing up on your bad days.
You build an unbreakable confidence in yourself. That Wait Until They See Me on a Good Day Energy that’s hard to put into words. But you know it when you feel it.
You will find yourself in your own version of Jordan’s Flu Game from time to time. A big moment. Something you’ve been preparing for. And you feel less than perfect.
On those days, you have a choice to make:
How do you show up when you feel like sh*t?
You can shy away from it. Wait for perfect conditions. For the stars to align.
Or, you can lean in. You can step up. You can prove to yourself that you are the creator of your own future.
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
