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I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence

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...that there is no secret. Michael Jordan is probably the greatest basketball player of all time, so when such an accomplished man speaks on the achievement of excellence, it is worth the effort to pay attention. In a short 36-page read, Jordan gives advice that resonates far beyond sports, and applies just the same to academic, business and personal areas of life.

Discipline, foresight and sacrifice make up Jordan's own triangle offense against the obstacles one meets on the road to excellence. I was glad to see he made the observation that people in this country only see the end result - the final payoff - completely ignoring the backbreaking work it took to reach that end. You see it everyday - an honest effort done in by a lack of foresight and pie-in-the-sky goals. People want the payoff without putting down the deposit, and as a result a lot of potential is nipped in the bud. Hard work alone does not guarantee, but in the end that is all you can do. Excellence, then, is not a goal, but a process.

Homer wrote 'The Iliad' thousands of years ago, but there is a line within that still holds true today, and particularly here. A young hero there muses that of all qualities in a person - bravery, wisdom, God-given strength - nothing matters so much as heart. Jordan echoes that sentiment - talent alone will not do the trick, and his achievements confirm he was right. Heart measures the gap between the hall-of-famer and the might-have-been.

I CAN'T ACCEPT NOT TRYING is a small inspiration book written by the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Jordan had an unbelievable career in the NBA before retiring, tried playing major league baseball, came back to the NBA to lead the Chicago Bulls to a few more championships, then retired again, then came out of retirement again to play for the Washington Wizards--a team he had owned for over a year, before retiring for a third time in 2003. This little book was published just prior to Jordan's first return to basketball after his first "retirement". It was one of many items to fuel the media hype about his return.

There really isn't very much here. The book is only 36 pages long, is divided up into 6 sections, and includes a few posed pictures. The 6 sections are: goals, fears, commitment, teamwork, fundamentals, and leadership. Jordan shares a few personal thoughts and recollections in each section. Though there are one or two nuggets into the mind of Jordan, there isn't anything here that is new, original, or groundbreaking. Still, most people want to be like Mike and it is one of the few things Jordan ever wrote. It makes a nice little gift for Jordan fans, or someone who likes basketball and is getting ready to graduate high school.

As all the books of "search the personal excellence" you have to try it to see if it's true, of course not everybody could try this and other books of this kind because all the people are different.
The advantage of this book among the others of the same theme is that you can read this book in 20 minutes or less, is easy to read because it doesn't have examples on how could you solve this or that problem, and it has a strong message in every chapter, if you just try to do one or two of these messages you can be sure that your life could change.

This is one of the best motivational books ever written. It is short, yet powerful. Michael Jordan truly is a hero of our time. Although I don't even follow basketball at all, the words he writes are poignant, powerful, inspirational and teaches all of us a lesson on how to live and how to aspire. Great book, for adults and children alike.

This is the most inspirational book i have ever read....MJ rockz!!!!!

It tells goals you should have in your life. But Michael Jorden says it in his own neat way! Boy, if it was'nt out of print right now I'd have ordered 10 copies or more of the book to give to realitives and friends.

This book has a lot of positive messages. I think that the messages are stronger because they are coming from such a successful person. I just don't understand why it's so short. It's 36 pages, but each page is small and probably takes 30 seconds to read. Overall, it's definitely worth a read for some quick inspiration.

Michael Jordan is unequivocally among the greatest athletes in history; his amazing talents only surpassed by his incredible mindset. Any dictionary in need of a photo to place next to the word "champion" could do no better than a portrait of Jordan. In this short book, we get a peak into Jordan's views on success, something so valuable even a glimpse is of immense value.

At the core, Jordan was aggressive and fearless. In his owns words, he explains, "I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life, I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it. I don't believe you can achieve anything by being passive....I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but its an illusion to me. If it turns out my best wasn't good enough, then at least I'll never be able to look back and say I was too afraid to try." Is it any wonder with such a mindset that he was as great as he was? But Jordan was not just a bulldog, he was also brilliant, perhaps even genius. He was methodical and specific in his actions. He suggests, "There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way." Jordan was so well prepared, and exhausted himself so much in practice, that when he came upon high pressure game situations, it was just routine, and when significant challenges become routine, success can only follow; this is the essence of Jordan's greatness defined in his own words.

Although brief enough to easily be read within thirty minutes, the material in this book will be enough to arouse your ambition and inspire your soul. Anyone seeking to discover what makes up the heart of one of histories greatest champions will enjoy this short book.

Michael Jordan shows all young athletes how he prepared himself for both athletic greatness and life in general. The book is a very easy read for people at all ages and the lessons taken away from it will last a life time. This book was recommended for me to give to my sons by a scout of the Atlanta Braves almost 15 years ago.
And the lessons still fit. A highly encouraged reading for all young athletes making the commitment to be the best.

I just grabbed this book for my 18 yr old son who is off to college. I didn't even read it, just knew he would browse it cause MJ wrote. Before I sent it off, I read it and WOW. Only 30 something pages and powerful. No nothing new, just straigt talk. I'm looking for a few more to send to the other special graduates in my life. I think it could change your life if you keep it simple and apply his example to life. If nothing else, it gives hope that hard work pays off.

G's Mom