Relentless by Tim Grover
My notes are informal and often contain quotes, key nuggets, and personalized thoughts from the book. When I come across an interesting idea or concept while reading, I save it in my notes for future reference and reflection. If you find a book’s notes appealing, I highly recommend reading the whole book to get much more context and insight. My notes are not meant to substitute the book.
Tim Grover, the author of Relentless, trained Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade to get to the top of their game – and most importantly, stay at the top.
Three types of competitors—Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners
The cooler = Good
The closer = Great
The cleaner = Unstoppable
Coolers let others dictate whether they’ve done well; they do the job and await your approval.
Closers feel successful and celebrate when they get the job done.
Cleaners don’t celebrate their achievements and never feel as if they’ve attained success because they know there’s always more to learn and do.
When a Cooler makes a mistake, he’ll make a list of excuses.
When a Closer makes a mistake, he finds ways to blame other people.
When a Cleaner makes a mistake, he has no problem admitting he screwed up and will look you directly in the eye and say, ‘I fucked up.’”
While the other guy is sleeping, the cleaner is working.
While the other guy is eating, the cleaner is working.
While the other guy is taking a break, the cleaner is working.
While the other guy is working, the cleaner is working.
There’s no such thing as competition. You only compete with yourself.
Find your opponent’s weaknesses and attack.
There’s no such thing as failure; you learned what not to do because you know there’s more than one way to get what you want.
The relentless feel no pressure when they screw up and have no problem admitting when they’re wrong.
Society has molded us and trained us to act like a bunch of 5-year-olds.
The relentless make decisions, not suggestions; while everyone is still asking questions, you already know the answer.
Know exactly who you are.
Demand more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you
The relentless are not intimidated by pressure, they thrive on it.
Know that every time you stop, you can still do more.
“After every game, I used to ask Michael one question: Five, six, or seven? As in, what time are we hitting the gym tomorrow morning?”
We’ve become soft as a society. Anything that demands a bit of work and discipline is too hard for most these days.
“The minute your mind thinks, “Done,” your instincts say, “Next.”
Self-awareness is the single most important skill to possess.
There’s no such thing as “offseason.”
“Believe me, if you really want to know what someone is made of, watch them go through sugar detox. This isn’t a ‘low carb’ diet or Atkins knockoff; we’re talking zero sugars. And since most people have no idea how much sugar is hiding in most foods, I give them a written guideline of what they can and can’t eat, with a warning that says, You’ll know the program is working when you get a headache right behind one eye and you want to throw up.’ Within the first two days, they twitch, get hot and cold sweats, terrible gas, crazy thirst, and then they get shakes that only heroin and cocaine addicts can understand. I’m taking every ounce of sugar out of your body for ten days. After two horrible days, it starts getting better. And if you cheat, I’ll know.”
You don’t have to love you do. You just need to have faith that everything will pan out in the end.
Showing up is half the battle.
Push yourself harder when everyone else has had enough.
Fuck “try.”
Most of the people who ask for advice are not really looking for the truth. They’re looking for the easy answer – not the blunt advice that goes against what they want.
“Think, don’t overthink. Prepare, don’t over-analyze. Trust your intuition, Instinctive, not impulsive. Quick, not hurried.”
Everyone has the ability to be unstoppable.
You can’t be concerned about what others think of you if you want to be the best.
Failure is never an option even if it takes forever to reach your ultimate goal.
“In order to have what you really want, you must first be who you really are.”
Clutch (Closer) is about the last minute.
Relentless (Cleaner) is about every minute.
“Anyone can start something; very few people can finish.”
There are no shortcuts. No tricks. No hacks. No secrets.
“Do. The. Work. Every day, you have to do something you don’t want to do. Every day. Challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, push past the apathy and laziness and fear. Otherwise, the next day you’re going to have two things you don’t want to do, then three and four and five, and pretty soon, you can’t even get back to the first thing. And then all you can do is beat yourself up for the mess you’ve created, and now you’ve got a mental barrier to go along with the physical barriers.”
Every time you believe you can’t, you now must.
Without intense laser-like focus, you’ll fail every time.
You don’t have to love the work, but you do it anyway because you’re addicted to the results.
Wanting it is not enough.
Tell me your limit and I will show you how much more you can do!!
No test too great, too nerve-wracking, too risky, because you don’t fear failure.
No days off.
“When you’re great you trust your instincts. When you are unstoppable, your instincts trust you.”
Filling the gap between near-perfect and perfect is the difference between great and unstoppable.
Unsuccessful people always blame others, make excuses, and never get past limitations.
When you’re relentless you’re never on the defensive, you’re always looking to thrive, attack, and conquer.
Every minute is a high-pressure situation so always be alert and on your toes, as everything is always on the line.
Stop overthinking.
Anyone can start something. Only a few can finish.
“Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Don’t just “wing it” through life.
It’s better to be feared than liked.
Being buried under great pressure and stress is a good thing. Not everyone gets the opportunity to achieve extraordinary things.
Seek ways to compensate for your weaknesses.
From a coaching perspective – If I allow you to go at your own pace, you are never to going to get there.