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A Cooler accepts what he can’t do and gives up. A Closer recognizes what he can’t do but keeps working at it. A Cleaner knows what he can do and stays with it until he decides to do something else. Cleaner Law: if your name is on the door, you’d better control what goes on behind that door. Failure is what happens when you decide you failed. Until then, you’re still always looking for ways to get to where you want to be. It’s Derek Jeter responding to a reporter who asked if the Yankees were panicking during a late-season slump, and how Jeter was dealing with it: “I don’t panic so I don’t have to deal with it.” Total Cleaner. Or Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, offering to sign a medical waiver so he could return to action with a lacerated spleen, against doctors’ orders. It’s Dwyane refusing to go down with that bad knee in the playoffs, or Kobe refusing to sit out with multiple injuries— including the concussion—that would have staggered anyone else. That’s how you deci...

Coolers are afraid of the truth because they can’t deal with it. Closers dig for the truth and get upset when it’s not in their favor. Cleaners know when you’re lying and wait for the truth to show itself, knowing whatever it is, they’ll handle it. part of success means recognizing the people who can help you get where you want to go, putting all the best pieces in place. You have to surround yourself with people who can operate at your level of demanding excellence. You can’t be unstoppable, or even great, if you can’t do that. And it’s probably the hardest thing for a Cleaner to do. trust doesn’t have to mean giving up control and allowing other people to make decisions for you. You can’t make things better until you stop making things worse. In business, in sports, doesn’t matter, this isn’t personal. When the answer is no, a Cleaner says no; he doesn’t soften it or wrap it in something pretty. No excuses, and no explanation afterward. Explanations are another way of sayin...

A Cooler keeps his opinions to himself. A Closer will say what he thinks, but only behind your back A Cleaner will tell you straight to your face what he thinks, whether you like it or not. a Cleaner wants to beat you when you’re at your best, not when you’re standing there without the ball. A “freeze-out” is the kind of petty bullshit you typically see from younger players who start feeling a little proud of themselves, and decide to show the chief that the tribe is taking over. A Cooler is liked. A Closer is respected. A Cleaner is feared, and then respected for doing exactly what everyone feared he’d do. A Cleaner moves silently under the surface—he makes no waves, so you never know what he’s doing. You can’t see him or hear him. You may not even know who he is. But when he’s ready for you to find out, he does it with a tsunami that comes with no warning. You have no idea what’s coming until you’ve been completely rocked, and by then it’s too late for you to do anything bu...

A Cooler makes you wish you paid him less. A Closer asks how much and then decides how hard he’ll work. A Cleaner doesn’t think about the money; he just does the work and knows you’ll be grateful for the privilege of paying him. Cleaner Law: when you reduce your competition to whining that you “got lucky,” you know you’re doing something right. Luck becomes a convenient excuse when things don’t go your way, and a rationale for staying comfortable while you wait for luck to determine your fate. You can’t be relentless if you’re willing to gamble everything on the unknown. Cleaners don’t care about instant gratification; they invest in the longterm payoff. Don’t be jealous of someone if you had the same opportunity and you let it slip away. It takes a willingness to be dedicated, to improve, to be better. I don’t care if you’re a superstar or the weakest guy on the team, anyone can show up, work hard, and listen. Are you looking for that nonexistent shortcut, or are you ready...

Trust yourself. Decide. Every minute, every hour, every day that you sit around trying to figure out what to do, someone else is already doing it. While you’re trying to choose whether to go left or right, this way or that way, someone else is already there. While you’re paralyzed from overthinking and overanalyzing your next move, someone else went with his gut and beat you to it. Make a choice, or a choice will be made for you. Most people don’t want to make decisions. They make suggestions, and they wait to see what everyone else thinks, so they can say, “It was just a suggestion.” They know the right answer, but can’t act because if something goes wrong, they’ll have to take responsibility and then they can’t blame anyone else. Meanwhile, someone else is going to make a decision, and when it works, he’s getting all the credit. And maybe the choice he made isn’t one that works for anyone but him, but since no one else took charge, too bad for everyone else. A Cleaner mak...

A Cooler does a good job and waits for a pat on the back. A Closer does a good job and pats himself on the back. A Cleaner just does a good job, that’s his job. When you’re a Cleaner, there’s no such thing as a meaningless game a Cleaner shows up to play. When you’re the guy at the top, it’s on you to pull everyone else up there with you, or everything you’ve built comes crashing down. Not so easy for a Cleaner who demands excellence of himself and has no tolerance for those who can’t or won’t rise to that level. Does he dumb himself down so he can fit in, slap people on the back, tell them they’re great, and hope everyone can rise together? Or does he stand up there alone, set the example, and make everyone else work harder? The answer seems obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t want to stand alone under the glare of the spotlight, because as soon as you reveal what you’re capable of, that’s what everyone will expect of you. But when no one realizes h...

A Cooler waits for you to tell him the plan. A Closer works on the plan, studies it, memorizes it, and knows exactly what he has to do. A Cleaner doesn’t want a specific plan; he wants every possible option available to him at all times. When what you’re doing isn’t working, find someone who can make it work. And then let him do it. That’s the Cleaner’s job. Not everyone wants that job. It leaves you completely exposed and open to all kinds of criticism and scrutiny. A Cooler takes no risks. A Closer takes risks when he can prepare in advance and knows the consequences of failing are minimal. Nothing feels risky to a Cleaner; whatever happens, he’ll know what to do. Picture a military operation with a specific tactical strategy: go into that building, make sure it’s empty, go out the red door and into the waiting truck in back before the building blows up. You do exactly as ordered, everything goes according to plan . . . until you get to the red door. Locked. No other exit....

 A Cooler is never in a situation where he has to be “clutch.”  A Closer is “clutch” in high-pressure situations.  A Cleaner is always “clutch.” Closers are called Closers for a reason: they show up at the end. They can deliver in a pressure situation because they step up when something is on the line. For Cleaners, every moment is a pressure situation, and everything is always on the line Honestly, if I were you, I’d be insulted if someone said I had a clutch gene. It’s not a compliment when people say you step up for the big games. Where were you all the other games? Why weren’t you that solid and aggressive and effective all the time? being relentless means constantly working for that result, not just when drama is on the line. Clutch is about the last minute. Relentless is about every minute. if you’re content to wait until that last minute, you are way too safe the rest of the time, taking it easy, coasting along in your comfort zone. A lot of guys won’t...

A Cooler tries to fight his dark side and loses. A Closer acknowledges his dark side but isn’t able to control it. A Cleaner harnesses his dark side into raw, controlled power. But if you want to climb out of your rut and get up to the next level, you have to leave your baggage behind. It’s Superman shedding “mild-mannered” Clark Kent’s suit and glasses, the Incredible Hulk going green, Batman putting on the cape, the Wolf-man howling at the moon. It’s the ability to voluntarily or involuntarily drop all the bullshit and inhibitions and allow yourself to just do what you do, the way you want to do it, performing instinctively at the most extraordinary level. No fear, no limitation. Just action and results. Remember where we started the discussion on instinct? Born bad, taught to be good? Welcome to your dark side. Which you can’t, because no one really changes. You can try, you can make promises, you can seek help and read books and learn ways to suppress your basic nature, b...

A Cooler thinks about what he’s supposed to think about. A Closer thinks, analyzes, and eventually he acts. A Cleaner doesn’t think at all, he just knows. We’re all born bad. You cannot be great without it. Picture a lion running wild. He stalks his prey, attacking and killing at will, and then goes in search of his next conquest. That’s what his lion instincts tell him to do, he doesn’t know anything else. He’s not misbehaving, he’s not bad, he’s being a lion. Now lock him up in the zoo. He lies there all day, quiet and lethargic and well fed. What happened to those powerful instincts? They’re still there, deep inside, waiting to be uncaged. Let him out of the zoo and he goes lion again, preying and attacking. Put him back in the cage, he lies down. Most people are the lion in the cage. Safe, tame, predictable, waiting for something to happen. But for humans, the cage isn’t made of glass and steel bars; it’s made of bad advice and low self-esteem and bullshit rules and tortu...

You know others around you are emotional. They feel scared or jealous or excited or they’re too clueless to understand what’s happening, but you feel only readiness. No emotion, because in the Zone the only sensation is anger, a quiet, icy anger simmering under your skin . . . never rage, never out of control. Silent, like a storm that moves in slow and dark, its violence unseen until it hits, and can’t be measured until it moves on. That’s the impact of a Cleaner in the Zone. Everything you feel, all your energy, it’s right under the surface. No ripples, no waves . . . no one can see what’s coming. Leave the drama and chaos to others, that’s not you. You’re saving it all for what’s ahead. Anyone who has experienced the awesome power of the Zone will tell you it’s deeply calm. It’s not relaxing or peaceful—this isn’t yoga—but intensely focused. And once you’re there, you have no fear, no worry, no emotion. You do what you came to do, and nothing can touch you. we all have a trigg...