LeBron James spelled out his pregame strategies and how he responds to failure, and they're tools anyone can use in their lives
- To perform at an elite level night after night, LeBron James has developed strategies to keep an optimal mindset.
- James and Mike Mancias, his trainer, were recently on Tim Ferriss' podcast and discussed how the four-time MVP prepares ahead of big games and how he responds after enduring tough losses.
- James keeps a consistent routine on game days to lock in and focus on the game plan.
- The newly-minted Los Angeles Laker tries not to harp on any given loss but emphasized how important it is to learn from defeat to avoid making the same mistake twice.
LeBron James is elite in every sense of the word. He takes serious precautions to protect his body and ensure that he will be healthy enough to play for years to come, but his mental and emotional preparations for games and responses to losses may be just as important to his success.
James - who has won three NBA titles in his career - recently joined Tim Ferriss on his podcast alongside his trainer, Mike Mancias, to talk about the lifestyle, habits, and more that go into maintaining dominance in the NBA. In addition to discussing his eating, sleeping, and wine preferences, James divulged his secret to keeping the right mentality to prepare ahead of big games and endure difficult losses.
The four-time league MVP said that he tries to keep a reliable schedule on game days so that he can keep his focus singularly on the game plan. Usually, that also involves charting out what he needs to do to succeed on the court both personally and as a teammate.
"Before a big game, I'm pretty consistent with my routine," James told Ferriss. "I try to do the same thing every single day on a game day because that's just how I lock in. Right before I run on the floor I'm just basically thinking about the game plan that the coaching staff has given us, what do I need to do personally not only for me to be successful but also for my teammates to ultimately be successful."
Of course, as a 16-year NBA superstar, James knows that overcoming failure is just as important as preparing for success.
"How am I going to lead these guys throughout good times and bad times throughout the course of the game?" James said he asks himself before games. "Because that's what happens. It's inevitable that that's going to happen."
James tries not to harp on losses, but he stressed the importance of understanding one's mistakes and learning from defeat to avoid repeating the same result.
"After a bad loss, I'm kind of thinking about and replaying the game in my head," James said. "I want to be better. I don't want to dwell on that loss, but I do want to know what sort of things I could have done or we could have done to prevent it if it happens next time."
James is certainly not afraid of failure. He tries to embrace adversity to improve down the line.
"I always preach that the best teacher in life is experience, and it's okay for you to experience defeat, but when you're in a position where you may have to cross that threshold again, do you approach it the same way or do you learn from that?" James said. "That's what I try to do. I try to put myself in the mental state of 'how do I learn from that defeat, how do I learn from that loss?'"