Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school varsity team.
He wasn’t good enough. That’s what his coaches told him when he was cut as a sophomore. Michael was crushed. He wanted badly to prove that he belonged and that he could help his team win.
When he went home and told his mother, she listened with compassion, but she didn’t accept defeat with him. She asked him a simple question: What are you going to do about it?
That question forced Michael to look inward. He began thinking about the way he played the game, the function behind his performance, and the form he wanted to become.
So he went to work.
He practiced every day. He focused on his footwork. He studied every movement in his shot. He ran dribbling drills until the basketball felt like an extension of his hand. He didn’t chase attention or approval. He chased improvement.
By the following year, Michael wasn’t just on the team. He had reshaped himself into a different player. Over time, that commitment would turn him into one of the most dominant athletes the game has ever seen.
Michael understood something many people miss. If you want a different outcome, you have to change what you’re doing consistently. Form follows function.
He applied that lesson over and over again throughout his career.
So let me ask you, what form do you want to take?
Do you want to be good enough to make the team but stay on the bench? Do you want to be in the game as a role player? Or do you want to be the person everyone trusts when the pressure is highest?
Many people admire greatness, but few are willing to live the discipline required to achieve it. They picture the form they want to become but never commit to the habits, structure, and courage necessary to get there.
Stephen Covey said it this way, “Structure follows purpose.”
The problem is that many people have never answered the question, what is my purpose? Because of that, they drift through careers and opportunities, hoping something external will finally give them meaning.
Jobs can give purpose, but purpose doesn’t come from a title or a paycheck. Purpose comes from a choice. You can bring purpose into any role by deciding to make a positive difference for someone beyond yourself.
Once the purpose is clear, structure begins to form around it. And when the structure is right, the form starts to change. People can see it. They can feel it.
It’s not magic. It’s mindset. It’s not destiny. It’s choice. It’s not luck. It’s preparation.
When the function works, when service is excellent, systems are sound, and purpose is clear, the form naturally improves.
Just ask Michael Jordan.
Be Principled,
Caleb