Michael Jordan: A Lesson on Achievement

Michael Jordan is a fierce competitor; he strives to be the best at everything he does. Michael’s drive and determination to succeed have made him what he is: the best. But Michael’s long journey to the top was no easy task. He faced many obstacles and it was his persistence and his unwillingness to fail that enabled him to triumph in the face o

f adversity. What makes Michael so special is the infectious nature of his spirit, he has inspired countless people around the world to succeed in what they do. Jordan has become more than sports superstar, he is a global icon and a figure of inspiration. His life as it is can be looked upon as a triumph over the many hurdles in life using a tool known as persistence.

Michael’s naturally competitive spirit and desire to be the best was unleashed by his failure to reach his goal. He became dedicated to improving his game and worked hard for the two years he sat the bench. He spent hours in his driveway practicing his shot, he worked on his conditioning and his fundamentals, and most importantly he learned how to be a team player. “Between 10th and 11th grade, Michael grew from 5’11” to 6’3”, and because he had improved greatly, he made the varsity team the following year.”3 Michael continued to improve and so impressed scouts his first year on varsity he was invited to attend a five-star camp in Pittsburgh, PA over the summer. His senior year at Laney High went well. He sprouted to 6’5” and was offered a basketball scholarship to play at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.3 Michael shined at UNC and amassed a following of dedicated fans and sports enthusiasts after hitting a game-winning shot to give UNC the NCAA championship.

That spring turned everything around for me. I did a complete one-eighty and I was finally starting to feel good about myself. Through playing tennis every afternoon and riding my bike to school I shed my baby fat. I remember being able to look in the mirror and feel good about how I looked again. The confidence I got from achieving my goal in tennis was contagious. I asked Alaina out and she eventually became my girlfriend. That summer I started hanging out with all my friends again. It was like the sun had emerged from behind the clouds in my life, I was renewed. I stayed on that wave of confidence for the rest of high school.

Michael’s work ethic only improved as he moved on from UNC to the NBA where he played for the Chicago Bulls. While in the NBA he accumulated a list of accolades and record statistics and eventually became the best to ever play the game of basketball.

I see similarities in me and Michael’s turning points in respect to the fact that both of us used our achievement of goals in sports to develop confidence and faith in hard work. Michael was able to become the best and through his achievements in basketball he was able to transcend cultural, racial, national and language barriers and become a world wide influence. In fact I often become inspired when I think of Michael Jordan and the greatness he achieved. The values and lessons that my mom instilled in me as a child are evident in success stories like Michael. Setting goals, exercising discipline, and having faith in yourself are all exemplified by “Your Airness”. I think Michael summed up life perfectly when he said “I can accept failure, what I can�

Some topics in this essay:
Storrs CT, James Jordan, Laney School, Michael Jordan, Deloris Jordan’s, EO Smith, James Deloris, Airness” Michael, Byron Russell, Bulls NBA, michael jordan, james jordan, cut team, chicago bulls, bulls lead, child michael, north carolina, 1 michael, jordan family, nba finals,