[Here is a photo I took from the front row. Ignore the chicken wings - it was my cheat day, ha... I had to sneak this picture ninja-style since comedians hate when you take one during their show]

Everyone cheered until Chris said, "Hold up, don't get your hopes up too high I am just here practicing for my gig hosting the BET awards."

It took me a minute to realize that he wasn't joking.

 

Selling Out Stadiums...

Here is a man who sells out 15,000 person arenas, has been doing comedy for 30 years, and has made hundreds of millions of dollars and he is still obsessed with practicing before his next show. 

It made me question my own commitment to working out, growing my business, improving my social life, and finding happiness.

How much do you practice?

I was just re-reading my buddy Idan Ravin's new book for today's Book-Of-The-Day, The Hoops Whisperer.

Idan and I sat down at the Montage in Beverly Hills the other week and he shared some of the secrets on how he trains the top pro basketball players in the world: LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and many others.



Idan started debunking the myths of what it takes to be great. He says people feel too entitled. They forget that guys like Lebron James are up at 5 am practicing when the rest of the world is still sleeping. 

He says people should stop posting inspirational Facebook pics and just go and actually workout. I asked Idan if he saw a common trait in all these great athletes.

And he quickly replied, "Courage."

I asked him, "Do all the top athletes have courage?" 

He said, "Every one of them..."

I asked how you can build courage under pressure.

He said baby steps and to "practice pressure."

Notice that word again, "Practice"... 

That's why Idan trains by throwing tennis balls at Lebron's left hand while Lebron dribbles a basketball with his right...

He is simulating real world pressure.
 
Like Lao-Tzu says, "Do what is difficult when it's easy."
 
Idan says he argued with the famous old-school coach Larry Brown over Nature vs. Nurture. He thinks greatness is created even at the highest level of the NBA. It's not just natural born talent.

Idan also shared lots of cool work out tips with me. 

He said you should keep switching up your workouts so your body never gets used to the exercises. That's another way you practice pressure. He was at my house and showed me a better way to do pull-ups by pulling in my shoulder blades.

I feel lucky to learn from amazing people.

And as I ponder this all, I realize that Idan and Lebron James have the same philosophy as Chris Rock. It is in the solitude of their practice that greatness develops. The hours spent when the bright lights and TV cameras aren't watching. Being rich, famous, in love, and happy is just a certain number of practice sessions away from us all.

 

Black Belt Inner Circle...

Also I have 2 spots left for my Black Belt Inner Circle.

If you have a six or seven figure business and want to jump your revenue up massively then this is for you.

This is a private group that I personally coach at the highest level.

​Click here to fill out the application.

There is good science to back this up.

This past weekend I decided I would push the limits. 

I read 5 books in 45 minutes. My new record.

Here is a pic.



One of the books you can see I read was Inheritance by Dr. Sharon Moalem. The author shares how science has had it wrong for many years. Our lives are dictated by our genes BUT our genes can change and morph each day depending on the environment we expose them to.

We all have latent parts of our genes that can basically hide or be 'expressed' based on what we do. It's called epigenetics and it's the newest breakthrough in the science
of genes.

For example, if you stay out in the sun too long you are literally stressing out your genes and causing it to change. If you got bullied in school your genes probably changed, even
years after the bullying stopped.

That sounds negative but the flip side is that this also means, just like Chris Rock, Idan Ravin, & LeBron James understand, that you can use practice to physically rewire your body. Dr. Moalem says that your genes are built to be extremely efficient. Any process that is not being used, the genes starting turning off. 

For example, take your bones. Moalem says,

“To understand how DNA is involved in making and breaking our bones, we first need to understand how our bones work.

Far from being composed of the dense, dead, and rock-like material many people imagine when they think of bone, our skeletons are quite alive—and are being constantly redeveloped to meet the changing demands of our lives. This remodeling and reshaping comes as the result of a microscopic battle between two types of cells, osteoclasts and osteoblasts...”

If you don't exercise, your genes conserve energy by not strengthening your bones. You get weaker. You lose bone and muscle mass.

Moalem confirms:

“...Constant use, strain, and weight isn’t just toning muscle, it’s also setting osteoclasts and osteoblasts to work, which changes genetic expression that helps to build stronger bones.It’s also weaving together an aspect of our life story that will last as long as our bones do.” 

Use it or lose it. Your bones, your brain, your muscles, your social skills, you business skills - every facet of your life...

Practice it or your skills will fade away into the deep recesses of your genes.

My question to you is, how many hours a day do you practice something? Anything...

Most adults over 25 years old are on a quick downhill slide of not practicing anything.

 

What Does The World Owe You?...

We all fall into the trap of entitlement. Thinking the world owes us something. It doesn't. You have to compete. Like it or not.

Hard truth, but truth nonetheless.

The great historian Will Durant says in The Lessons Of History:

“The second biological lesson of history is that life is selection. In the competition for food or mates or power some organisms succeed and some fail. In the struggle for existence some individuals are better equipped than others to meet the tests of survival.

Since Nature has not read very carefully the American Declaration of Independence or the French Revolutionary Declaration of the Rights of Man, we are all born unfree and unequal: subject to our physical and psychological heredity, and to the customs and traditions of our group; diversely endowed in health and strength, in mental capacity and qualities of character...

Inequality is not only natural and inborn, it grows with the complexity of civilization...every invention or discovery is made or seized by the exceptional individual, and makes the strong stronger, the weak relatively weaker, than before."

Now this might sound like an elitist understanding of society. But flip it around... invert...

When you combine this with modern science and training you realize that yes life is competitive, but YOU have the ability to be one of the great ones. Regardless of your natural born skills.

Your genes can adjust and change and express themselves differently. Mother Nature is an elitist. But like the old saying goes, "If you can't beat it, join it."

I don't mean literally become an elitist or look down on others. No, max out your capacity through methodical practice and then use your new found abilities to raise others up.

Don't worry if everyone else underestimates you. You just keep practicing. Practice every day. Practice your skill. Hone it like a well sharpened knife.

Like Tecumseh says, "Love your life, Perfect your life, Beautify all things in your life..."

Learn French. Read a book about Finance. Spend an hour at an old folks home cheering someone up. Pick up the basketball or soccer ball you used to play with when you were young and start running around again.

Practice speaking in front of a crowd. Study Algebra again. Play a game of chess. I don't care if you are uber successful or unemployed. Life is still competitive. You still must practice like Chris Rock & Lebron James.

And reminder, I have those 2 spots left for my Inner Circle. If you have a six or seven figure business and want to jump your revenue up massively then >>CLICK HERE to fill out this application.
 

Stay Strong,

Tai


Question: Do you practice something every day? If not, what skill should you be refining daily? (Leave your answer in the comments below)