Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable (Tim Grover Winning Series)

by Tim S. Grover

That’s a Cleaner, not just learning but taking what you’ve learned and creating ways to improve on it.

You bought that book already knowing what you had to do, you were just waiting for someone to tell you.

Lots of people start things; few are able to finish. Why? They don’t trust themselves to get to the end.

The difference is that millisecond of pause between thinking, “I can do this,” and not having to think anything at all. When you’re great, you trust your instincts. When you’re unstoppable, your instincts trust you.

It’s Superman shedding “mild-mannered” Clark Kent’s suit and glasses, the Incredible Hulk going green, Batman putting on the cape, the Wolf-man howling at the moon. It’s the ability to voluntarily or involuntarily drop all the bullshit and inhibitions and allow yourself to just do what you do, the way you want to do it, performing instinctively at the most extraordinary level.

You can spend another hour at the blackjack table and leave while you’re still ahead. You stay at the office working late, knowing you should be at home. You watch everyone else stumble over themselves trying to keep up with you.

Cleaner Law: control your dark side, don’t let it control you.

Cleaner doesn’t want to give up the thing you disapprove of. To him, it’s not a weakness, it’s his strength, his choice. Weakness would mean giving up what he craved because he was afraid of getting caught.

Most people can’t begin to comprehend the psychological makeup of an individual who is one of the best in the world at what he does, and what he’s been through to get there.

It’s not a compliment when people say you step up for the big games. Where were you all the other games? Why weren’t you that solid and aggressive and effective all the time?

Clutch is about the last minute. Relentless is about every minute.

A Cleaner controls the pressure he feels, and he never looks to anyone else to help him control it.

don’t want to hear that someone can’t “handle pressure.” Everyone can handle pressure. Most people choose not to because it’s easier to stay safe in the comfort zone.

Everyone wants to cut back on stress, because stress kills. I say bullshit. Stress is what brings you to life. Let it motivate you, make you work harder. Use it, don’t run from it.

Of course, you have to be able to recognize the difference between stress that can bring great results, and stress you create yourself that just causes chaos. Showing up unprepared, not putting in the work, blowing off commitments and obligations . . . that’s the stuff that creates pointless stress.

When you deal with stress all the time, it becomes second nature. It’s still not easy or effortless, but you handle things without panicking because you have experience in accepting the rigors of complex challenges.

the flexibility and knowledge to make adjustments; cockiness is the inability to admit when something isn’t working, and repeating the same mistakes over and over because you stubbornly can’t admit you’re wrong.

You don’t even know how you know, you just know. I’m not talking about “winging it” or making it up as you go. I’m talking about being so prepared, with so many options and so much experience, that you’re truly ready for anything.

That’s not about the myth of “positive thinking”; it’s about the hard work and preparation that go into knowing everything there is to know, letting go of your fears and insecurities, and trusting your ability to handle any situation.

When a Closer makes a mistake, he finds someone else to blame. When a Cleaner makes a mistake, he can look you in the eye and say, “I fucked up.”

explanation. You made a mistake? Fine. Don’t explain it to me for an hour. The truth is one sentence, I don’t need a long story. You tell me you messed up, take responsibility . . . now you’ve gained my trust. As soon as you start giving me reasons and rationalizations, I know you have something to hide, and you’re not ready to take ownership.

Their confidence level is so high they have no problem admitting when something has gone wrong. They know they can make it right. No problem.

I’m wondering if something we did in the gym affected his shot. That’s my job; the pressure is on me to ensure he doesn’t have two lousy games. It would be easy to shrug it off—most people would—but if you want to be the best, you never have the luxury of shrugging off a bad performance.

no matter how you snap the pieces into place, you need that one guy who never needs a fire lit under him, who commands respect and fear and attention and demands that others bring the same excellence to their performance that he demands of himself.

What the hell is “inner drive”? Inner drive is nothing more than thought without action, internal wanderings that never hit the pavement to go anywhere.

I love hearing motivational speakers tell people to “follow your passion.” Follow it? How about work at it. Excel at it. Demand to be the best at it. Follow it?

Half-full or half-empty? You have something in the glass or you don’t. If you like what’s there, add more. If you don’t, pour it out and start over.

Thinking doesn’t achieve outcomes, only action does. Prepare yourself with everything you’ll need to succeed, then act. You don’t need a hundred people to back you up and be your safety net. Your preparation and your instincts are your safety net.

But to bring the thought to life, you have to put a plan together. Starting a workout, training for a sport, launching a business . . . you can just think about it, or you can create the plan that will get you there. Be realistic: How much time do you have? How much time will you commit? Is it going to be a priority in your schedule, or are you going to fit it in around your other commitments?

Otherwise, most people want to show they can do everything, which ultimately detracts from their real abilities.

Figure out what you do, then do it. And do it better than anyone else.

Cleaners have a high tolerance for physical and mental pain; it’s another great challenge to see how much they can take, what they can endure, how well they can play when they’re not healthy.

No matter what had happened the night before—good game, bad game, soreness, fatigue—he was up working out every morning while most of the other guys slept.

Pain comes in all sorts of disguises—physical, mental, emotional. Do you need to be pain-free? Or can you push past it and stand by your commitment and decision to go further? It’s your choice. The outcome is on you.

True for any business; getting the job doesn’t mean you’re keeping the job; winning the client doesn’t mean he’s staying forever.

You cannot understand what it means to be relentless until you have struggled to possess something that’s just out of your reach. Over and over, as soon as you touch it, it moves farther away.

Only when you’re truly relentless can you understand the determination to keep pursuing a target that never stops moving.

In anything you do, it takes no talent to work hard.

Anyone can start something. Few can finish. Priorities change if you don’t constantly protect and defend them.

Cleaner Law: When you’re going through a world of pain, you never hide.

Sorry, there’s no off-season when you’re serious about being a winner. But, hey, you can enjoy that off-season permanently when you’re cut by the team.

Do the work. There is no privilege greater than the pressure to excel, and no greater reward than earning the respect and fear of others who can only stand in awe of your results.

Cleaner is feared, and then respected for doing exactly what everyone feared he’d

you already know, you don’t have to talk about it. Talk never goes up in price, it’s always free, and you usually get what you pay for.

can do physically; you have to be able to perform intellectually and mentally as well. The way you conduct yourself in all areas of your life, your ability to show intelligence and class and self-control . . . those are the things that separate you from the rest of the pack.

You probably know this already, but that is not Cleaner talk. You need to fit in? Really? I thought the whole point was to stand out.

When you’re the guy at the top, you show others how to act, you don’t drop down to their level. You command respect and make them measure up to your standards, not the other way around.

When you’re completely focused on one thing—your craft—it’s hard to pay attention to other people.

You don’t care about being liked, you care about getting what you want. Not a great way to make and keep friends. But the only way to be truly relentless. Kobe rarely goes out with teammates, he’d rather work out or watch game film.

You can’t get to the top without stepping on some people, but a Cleaner knows where to step without leaving footprints, because you never know when you may need those people again.