Dear subscriber,
By the time you’ve finished reading today’s email…
… you’ll be more pumped up than a 90’s kid’s pair of Reebok Pumps.
More amped-up than Angus Young playing at the Monsters of Rock, Moscow.
Hoo-Hah!
Yup, I’m talkin’ more excited than a sugared-up 7-year-old at a birthday party.
Ah, who am I kidding?
Most of my subscribers are tougher to kick into gear than an old jalopy in the dead of winter.
Whatever.
Let’s just get to it.
Picture this:
A neon sign of a gritty boxing gym flickers above the entrance, casting a dim glow on the cracked sidewalk below. Inside, the gym is a symphony of sweat and determination. The air is thick with the metallic tang of blood and the rhythmic thud of gloves hitting heavy bags.
At the center of the chaos stands the coach, a veteran of the ring with a face more weathered and wrinkled than an elephant’s scrotum. His eyes gleam with fierce intensity as he puts the young boxer through his paces.
After each drill, the coach’s eyes would fixate on his young protege. Like clockwork, he would deliver the exact same comment (a six-word mantra) that would echo through the gym. This old boxing trainer said it so often, people wondered if it was a verbal tic or if the old man was losing it.
But those close to the trainer knew otherwise. He meant every damn word of this six-word phrase.
These six words stuck in the young boxer’s mind like crap on a rug. It became the young boxer’s mantra, a steady beacon guiding him through the storm of training, and ultimately leading him to become…
…The Youngest Heavyweight
Champion in History!
For the non-sports fans, that story was about the late great boxing coach Cus D’Amato and his mentee Mike Tyson.
If your frontal lobe is in good working order and you don’t suffer from CRS (can’t remember shit), then you’ll recall that Cus D’Amato said this six-word sentence after almost every drill the young Mike Tyson completed.
Now, can a single statement or mantra really have that much impact on a boxer’s career? Can six simple words be credited to Mike Tyson’s success? Or am I guilty of hyperbole?
The safe bet is this: it’s both!
OK, Kelvin, I get it, you’re a writer and need to tease and build curiosity, but tell me what those six words are already!
Fair enuff.
Okay, dear subscriber, I’ll tell you right now.
After almost every single drill the young Mike Tyson performed, Cus D’Amato would say this:
Wait!
Before I tell you, you gotta hear this:
Not many people know this, but Mike Tyson owns a strip club. When they’re open the sign out the front says: We’re open! When they close, the sign says: We’re Clothed!
Very clever, I think.
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
OK. Enough with the over-bloated build-up.
The six words D’Amato would say to Tyson after every drill were this:
“It’s Good But It’s Not Perfect”
Ah, yes, a master of the backhanded compliment was Cus D’Amato.
Now listen:
There’s an old saying: amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can’t get it wrong!
Case in point: Larry Bird.
Yeah, I know, I trot this example out every single time, but you know what? I don’t care. It’s the best there is, so I’m gonna keep pounding it in. It’s like Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” – sure, you’ve heard it a thousand times, but you’re not gonna change the station, right?
Great point, Kelvin.
Thank you.
So anyway, Larry Bird once did a commercial where he had to shoot from the free throw but miss the shot on purpose.
Here’s how it went down.
The gym is bustling with activity. Cameras, crew members, and production assistants are setting up for a commercial shoot. In the middle of the chaos stands Larry Bird, the legendary Boston Celtics forward, casually chewing gum while dribbling a basketball.
The director saunders over to Bird and says, “Alright, Larry, for this shot, we need you to miss a free throw. Just one miss, then we can move on.”
Larry nods in agreement, steps to the free throw line, spins the ball in his hands, and shoots.
Swish! Nothing but net.
“No problem, Larry”, says the director. “Let’s try again.”
Larry takes another shot. Swish! Another perfect free throw.
The crew starts to exchange amused glances.
“Okay, Larry, really try to miss this one”, says the director. Larry shrugs and says, “Sorry, I guess I’m just programmed to hit these.”
Larry steps to the free throw again, focused. He shoots. Swish! By now, everyone is watching intently, a mix of awe and amusement. Crew members start taking bets on whether Larry will miss the next one or not.
Larry Bird shoots again.
Swish!
This continues for ten more shots, each one flawlessly sinking through the hoop.
Finally, on the eleventh attempt, Larry finally throws up a slightly off-target shot. It bounces off the rim.
The gym erupts in laughter and applause.
The director claps, shaking his head in disbelief.
***
Hey, you gotta admit though, the story gets better each time I tell it, eh?
Whatevs.
The point is, the great ones have trouble getting it wrong. Asking Larry Bird to miss a shot is like asking Bono to sing off-key, Adam Carolla to tell a boring story, or Papa Maverick to write a lousy email – it’s a big ask.
The great ones have trouble getting it wrong because they have perfected their craft.
And that was Cus D’Amato’s plan all along for his young protege – to get Mike Tyson to perfect the skill of boxing.
The Big O’ (Oprah) echoed this when giving her commencement speech.
“The number one thing I can offer you concerning your work is this: that you become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do, that your talent cannot be dismissed!”
Word to your mother!
OK, if that didn’t motivate your arse, I give up!
And so should you.
But I suspect you’re a little more motivated after reading this.
But Kelvin, what about the popular saying, “good enough is good enough”?
What about it?
Look, you can settle for “good enough” if you want, Chi-Chi, but you’ll have to be okay with the results that good enough brings you as opposed to what being great can bring you.
Why not aim for perfection?
It really does come down to this:
Do you want to be good?
Or do you wanna be great?
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
P.S. Don’t get hung up with the word “perfection” or “perfect”. What Cus D’Amato, Oprah, and all the greats have in common is this: a relentless spirit of excellence. They’re gunning for perfection while everyone else is happy to coast on good enough.
Comprendo?
Good.
One last thing:
If you’re someone who’s always looking to improve your sales and marketing efforts, then you might just be a good fit for this: https://kelvindorsey.com/mavericks-inner-circle/
Peace.
