Jalen Brunson has beaten the odds at every level. Undersized. Overlooked. Told he wasn't enough. And now he's one of the best point guards in the NBA.

I did an entire deep-dive on his underdog mindset, but here's what most people miss about Brunson: his confidence isn't natural. It's earned.

"My confidence comes through my work ethic. If I'm working, I'm confident. When he's not, he's not. It's like preparing for a test - you study, you're gonna be prepared."

That's the part people skip over. Everyone wants confidence. But very few people want to do what it takes to actually earn it.

Confidence isn't something you're born with. It's the byproduct of what you do. It's the feeling that comes when you know - not hope, but know - that you've done the work.

You feel capable because you are capable. You feel like you deserve it because you've gone 100%. There's no hack. You can't affirm your way into confidence. You can't visualize it into existence. You have to earn the right to feel it.

I talk with coaches, athletes, and executives all the time who want to feel more confident. My questions are always the same: Have you done the work that earns it? What habits do you have every day that help you grow and improve?

Brunson grew up around NBA players because of his dad. He saw the finished product on TV like everyone else. But he also saw what happened when no one was watching. "You see the finished product on the court. But when you see them in the summer, when no one's around - how hard these guys work - that's what changed me."

That's a winning mindset, not just an underdog mindset. It's not about where you start. It's about being willing to earn what you want and knowing that confidence is waiting on the other side of the work.

Source: Jalen Brunson, "What's Your Story?" with Stephanie McMahon

A leader has to create the space for other people to step up and be bigger." — Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson won 11 NBA championships and coached some of the biggest egos in sports history. And his approach to leadership was the opposite of what most people expect.

He didn't dominate. He created space.

Jackson learned this from John Heider's The Tao of Leadership: "Rules reduce freedom and responsibility. Enforcement of rules is coercive and manipulative, which diminishes spontaneity and absorbs group energy. The more coercive you are, the more resistant the group will become."

Most leaders get drunk on control and micromanage. They need to be the smartest person in the room. Jackson went the other direction: "The most effective approach is to delegate authority as much as possible and to nurture everyone else's leadership skills as well.

There's a story Jackson tells about the Chinese emperor Liu Bang. A citizen asks a Zen monk why Liu Bang is considered a powerful leader when all of his advisers are smarter and stronger than he is. The monk responds with a question: "Why is it that two wheels made of identical spokes differ in strength? The wheel is made not only of spokes, but also of the space between the spokes. The essence of wheel-making lies in the craftsman's ability to conceive and create the space that holds and balances the spokes within the wheel."

The lesson: A good leader knows where to place those players so they bring out the best in one another. And that requires creating space, not filling it.

The instinct when things get messy is to take more control. Jackson's approach was the opposite: let go. Let people struggle. Trust that struggle creates growth.

Leadership isn't about forcing your will on others. It's about mastering the art of letting go.

Ryan Holiday said something recently that stuck with me about why we struggle to keep commitments to ourselves.

He talks about "the wagon" - the thing you're trying to do, the habit you're trying to build, the person you're trying to become. The wagon is always moving. You're either on it or off it. And when you fall off, when you mess up or break a promise to yourself - the wagon doesn't stop. It keeps going.

The question is: are you going to run and catch up to it or are you going to write it off because you fell?

Here's what Holiday says most people miss: "It's actually very convenient to be all or nothing. That way it's giving you an out. An off-ramp."

Think about that. All-or-nothing thinking feels like high standards, but it's actually a trap. It's an excuse dressed up as discipline.

"I missed three days at the gym, so I might as well wait until Monday." "I already broke my diet, so I'll start fresh next week." "I haven't written in a month, so what's the point?"

That's not discipline, it’s giving yourself permission to quit.

Holiday's reframe: "Just because I've had a bad week where I was over-scheduled or distracted or sick or whatever and I wasn't writing - that doesn't mean all is lost. I just have to sit down now and do a little bit. And that's what starts the process again."

The wagon is still moving. You can get back on anytime. The only question is whether you will.

For coaches and leaders:

For athletes and performers:

All of these posts and more are in the Coaching Vault.

What I am reading and listening to:

📚 Book: The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi

🎧Podcast: Jon Sumrall Joins Josh Pate - Pate State Speaker Series

🎥 Video: Rod Brind'Amour: Stanley Cup Champion & NHL Coach Reveals Mental Toughness Secrets of ELITE Athletes

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