“Why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken?”

When Michael Jordan was drafted to the Chicago Bulls, I wasn't born yet. When he retired, I was only 8. Basketball isn't big in Malaysia and we don't get much exposure on basketball compared to football. My first exposure to Michael Jordan was the movie Space Jam. Eventually I learned that Michael Jordan is this huge basketball star.

I have very little knowledge in basketball. The only time I ever had to learn basketball was when I was working at Astro and had to write scripts to report on basketball matches. This script was for the presenter of the show I was producing. Writing a script for football? Easy. Tennis? Fine. Golf? Not that difficult. But basketball? that was tough especially when it had to involved stats. Because Americans love stats. So I had to learn a thing or two about basketball. But that's about it.

And then there's this new docu-series on Netflix about Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan called The Last Dance. I love sports documentaries and I couldn't miss this one. I loved everything about it. It's so beautifully done. Episode 7 was my favourite. It gave me a whirlwind of emotions. Chicago Bulls' fans would probably be crying after watching it because that team was amazing and Michael Jordan is GOAT.

The show had plenty of incredible, inspiring quotes but one that really hit me was “Why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken?”

That mentality.

A lot of people live their lives trying to achieve that thinking, that mentality. Living in the present and not worrying about things they don't know yet and a lot of people failed. Myself included. Big time.

Take one day at a time. Sounds so simple but so difficult to do.

It was mentioned on the show that a lot of the downfall of great sportsmen were caused by this. They worry about not being good enough, they worry they couldn't perform in the next game, or couldn't score. What ifs never helped anyone.

Growing up people keep saying Michael Jordan is GOAT. Why? Now I know. His mentality is unmatched. There's no way anyone can be that great if their mentality is not as strong. He's a great basketball player but just that is not enough to make him who he is.

I realised not worrying about things you don't know or hasn't happened yet takes practice and discipline. You have to train yourself. I still struggle. But I try to start with reminding myself to only focus on what I can control. The truth is we have no control over many things that happen in life. We refuse to accept that and that's why we get anxious or stressed.

It's better to use our time and energy on things we have power over. You can influence but you can never control how others think, feel or act. It can be long and slow process but if you really put your mind into it you can achieve it.

Anyway if you haven't seen The Last Dance, watch it now.