"Bill Russell is one of the great names in basketball, an all-American... the only athlete to ever win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic Gold Medal, and a professional championship all in the same year—1956...But Bill Russell had this one problem: He threw up before every game." ~ Dr. John Eliot from Overachievement
What a great line.
In Overachievement, Dr. John Eliot tells the brilliant story about the correlation between Bill Russell's barfing and his world-class play. In brief: Russell sucked when he wasn't so nervous that he booted before a game. He had the greatest slump of his career in 1963 when he didn't throw up for most of the season. Then, when entering the arena for the playoffs and seeing the crowd gathering hours before the game, his nerves kicked in and kicked his dinner out—and he went out and had the best game of the season.
Of course, we don't need to throw up to bring our A game. We do, however need to become friends with the butterflies, learn to welcome stress, enjoy it and make it work to our advantage.
"I have discovered that I cannot enhance anybody's performance without getting them not only to live with the butterflies that come with high-pressure jobs, but to embrace that kind of physical response, enjoy it, get into it. That's the real first ticket to being a performer who thinks exceptionally." ~ Dr. John Eliot from Overachievement
More Mojo from Overachievement
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PhilosophersNotes on Overachievement by John Eliot, Ph.D. | |||||
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