Was Michael Jordan a failure?
Right before the start of the 1993 NBA season, Michael (he goes by MJ) unexpectedly quit basketball.
He went to play baseball.
He played for two years.
At the end, his batting average was .202 — that's 0.002 points above the Mendoza Line.
This is a 0.200 batting average, which is considered the minimum threshold for competence in Major League Baseball.
(If you want the full ESPN scoop on MJ’s baseball career, read this.)
Then, in 1995, MJ returned to basketball.
The sport he felt most comfortable in.
The sport that came “easier” for him…
One might argue because he'd invested more hours of practice into it. The sport he dominated (again, perhaps because of hours spent playing).
Here’s the point:
MJ started a new sport and hovered near mediocre. Despite investing two years of concentrated effort into it. Despite bringing his obsessive work ethic to it.
Some might call that a failure.
Perhaps even he did, considering he went back to basketball after two years.
It's hard not to compare his incredible success in basketball (like back-to-back NBA championships from 1991 - 1993, and again from 1996 - 1998) with his so-so results in baseball.
Oh, and then he also won four gold medals in basketball.
But
— and this is huge —
those who know baseball say he was on his way to Hall of Fame greatness if he'd continued with baseball.
Which, to quote another GOAT, Tom Brady:
“The sustainable part about talent or potential is working hard.”
There is no failure.
Like what Thomas Edison said:
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
In short:
Just not enough time invested into those needed 10,000 hours to become an expert.
Keep going.
You got this.
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Featured Photo: Ian Kim