Dre Baldwin - Work on Your Game: Use the Pro Athlete Mindset to Dominate Your Game in Business, Sports, and Life

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To Chrissindra & Derrick Baldwin for keeping books in the house.

E veryone who has asked a question, offered an observation, or vented their challenges to me since 2005. Everything is material.

A nyone who knows me knows: I give it to you straight, no sugarcoating. My aim is not to make you happy, but to create success stories and help you invest in and generate results. I know how to put all the BS aside and get things done, and Ill teach you how to do the same.

Throughout this book, youll get to know me more. Youll learn that Ive been through rough stuff. Ive failed, fallen flat on my face, been knocked down, counted out, and disregarded. But, I still made it happen for myself while running on my own energy.

My background is a background which everyone has heard of and seen, but less than 1 percent of the human population ever lives. And, even though my personal story is off the beaten path, Ill articulate clearly my understanding of the challenges you face, and Ill tell you exactly what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.

I originally introduced the Work On Your Game philosophy for athletes, from amateur to professional, to improve their mental games both inside and outside of their sports. The philosophy quickly grew outside the bounds of competitive sports and found its way into boardrooms and sales teams. Work On Your Game is a formula for achievement for anyone who is ready to grow and own their game, no matter what that game may be. Work On Your Game is a step-by-step process that maximizes you and your ability and, by definition, eliminates competition: you at your best cannot be replicated or replaced.

If all of that inspires you, youre in the right place. If this is your introduction to me, nice to meet you.

The best advice I ever received was from an eighth grader who had beaten me 100 in a game of one-on-one. And before you say advice from an eighth grader is too basic for you, Im calling bullshit. Its exactly what you need, so stick around. It will be worth it, I promise.

We were riding home from our middle school pregraduation trip, and I was seated next to Brandon Abney, the best basketball player in our school. I asked Brandon for some advice on my still-weak basketball game. As the best basketball player I had direct access to, I looked up to Brandon. Anything he said about the game was something I would take and run with. And what Brandon said next changed my life forever.

Dre, you have to do two things.

Stop playing scared.

Buy a game.

Brandons wisdom was far beyond his 14 years.

These instructions became the foundation of not only what I did on the basketball court, but what I do in all aspects of my business and my life.

At first I didnt quite understand what Brandon meant by buy a game.

I came to the conclusion that it simply meant get some skillswhich meant to put in the time, work harder, and get better. Today, the phrase Buy a Game still means putting in the time to get the results you want. I dont care what your job is, what title you have, or where you work. No matter the circumstance, if you dont work, youll have no game.

EXAMINE YOUR GAME

Youll see Examine Your Game boxes like this throughout the book. These boxes will include questions and ideas for you to think through and answer about your game, your progress, and what needs to be changed, stepped up, or eliminated.

Ive been spreading this message since May 2005 when I started blogging on Blogspot.com. Work On Your Game (WOYG) was birthed in January 2009 when I spoke those exact words on camera at the 24 Hour Fitness gym in Cutler Bay, Miami, at two in the morning. We will get into all of that later, but first lets get back to how and why I was receiving such profound advice from a 14-year-old kid.

Julia R. Masterman Junior and Senior High, located at 17th and Spring Garden Streets in Philadelphia, was my school from the fifth through eighth grade.