THE MINDSET OF A "CLEANER"

Here's a great story from Tim Grover's book "Relentless."  Grover calls the mentality of champions "cleaners." Cleaners perform at the highest of levels physically, emotionally and mentally. His story below on Larry Bird not only portrays him as a cleaner but I love the "process over results." 

Find a video of Larry Bird in the 1988 All-Star Game Three-Point Contest against Dale Ellis. Bird had won the competition the two previous years and was coming back to defend his title, and he made sure there was no doubt he was there to win: “Who’s finishing second?” he asked the other players in the locker room. It wouldn’t be him. After every shot, as soon as the ball left his fingertips, he turned back to the rack to get the next ball. Never watched a single shot after it left his hand. Some went in, some clanged off the rim, but he never looked. He was already halfway off the court headed back to the bench by the time the winning ball went in; he never even took off his warm up shirt. All instinct. He didn’t have to wait to see what would happen. He already knew.

The fact that Bird shot the ball and than moved on to the next one without waiting to see if it went not only shows his confidence but also his concentration on the process -- not the result.