Discipline Changes Everything | Best Motivational Speech | Novak Djokovic

Not having success is not an option.

Like I have to succeed.

It's basically a matter of existence, a survival of my family.

When you want to change a certain habit, science says it takes at least 21 days, right? For the brain to start growing

right? For the brain to start growing you know, new neurons that are reprogramming.

But if you don't have the right environment, that's going to be very, very challenging. The environment is the

very challenging. The environment is the one that can be very stimulative to you.

It can be really supportive [music] or it can be pulling you down.

So it's super important, even though we we always encourage ourselves to be independent in terms of what we do, what we eat, how we sleep, how you know, how we lead our lives and what we do and how

[music] we can live the best version of our lives possible, but at the same time, we are social beings. We are very tribal beings. And even if it's the smallest

beings. And even if it's the smallest community, we still want to belong to that community. We still want this

that community. We still want this community to support us, even if it's one person, too.

But it's super important in the end of the day because, you know, making tough choices These are tough [music] choices cuz society when you go out there, you know, super majority of the places where you go to eat [music] or

people that you see, it's a kind of a vicious cycle and they lead their life in a certain way that maybe doesn't coincide or correspond to your choices that you want to make, the new choices

or maybe the new changes. So it's really hard. I feel like it's it's reinventing

hard. I feel like it's it's reinventing yourself constantly, you know, for me, I've had this kind of upbringing, had a great foundation.

And [music] you know, I have achieved incredible things. I was dreaming of becoming

things. I was dreaming of becoming number one in the world and becoming a Wimbledon champion.

And that was my dream. I achieved that dream within 2 days. I won Wimbledon and at the same [music] and same day became number one in the world.

It's just you know, once-in-a-lifetime type of experience.

And when you do something for the first time, obviously that big, it's just like you're you're flying to the moon. I

mean, you're not you it's a kind of an old out-of-body experience.

[music] So, of course, it was kind of a surreal experience for me and I tried to enjoy it and embrace it, but at the same time

I felt like, "Okay, it's great to share the court with these guys, but I want to beat them. You know, I want to get the

beat them. You know, I want to get the biggest titles. I want to be number one.

biggest titles. I want to be number one.

I want to dominate." So, I think that the first kind of that wave that I was riding on helped me to win my first slam when I was 19. I I won couple of big

tournaments and so forth. I reached

number two in the world. But, you know, I still wasn't number one. And then I I had a 3-year period I didn't win a slam.

I was winning some big tournaments, but I couldn't win a slam.

These two guys were beating me in every big match, Federer and Nadal. I changed

rackets you know, team members. I I I did everything I can to kind of find the the right formula.

And I was struggling [music] physically as well. I wasn't you know, that's where

as well. I wasn't you know, that's where actually I had my transformative journey nutrition-wise where I took everything started going in the in the upwards

direction for me and learning also from these guys and the matches that we've played against each other was something that was extremely important [music] for me at the time. I was, of

course, trying to consume as much as I can this energy of the center court and everything. [music]

And it was overwhelming at times, but I was also very thorough in my analysis of the matches afterwards, [music] even though I don't necessarily

like to watch matches that I lost, but you know, Kobe Bryant used to talk about this a lot and I when I was talking to him personally about that, he would and he said, [music]

"Even if it's just specific intervals of the match that you lost that you want to watch, that you definitely look at that and you need to

analyze that and you need [music] to go through that cramping feeling because that's where you learn from those [music] those mistakes and that's where you have an opportunity to rectify that the next next tournament [music] or

next match and so forth. So, that helped a lot.

I have identified that as well is my feeling of not being enough.

[music] And that goes back to my very very beginning of my life and my relationship particularly with my father.

And not being not doing enough, not being good enough, etc. etc. So, and it's kind of the battle that I that I also go through often.

Cuz a lot of people even closest people in my life ask me, you know, what more do you want? You know, you have achieved [music] everything.

What do you want? What why why do you keep going? And I tell them the the good

keep going? And I tell them the the good part that I told you that I still really strongly feel it's inside of me and I and I feel like as long as I have the capacity or ability

to compete [music] for the biggest titles in our in my sport, I want to keep going.

And also partly the part that I didn't mention that inspires [music] me to keep going is to test my limits mentally and physically.

Cuz when I was starting to break through in [music] the professional tennis, I remember when you reach your 30, you start counting your days [music] to your retirement. Like after 30, you know,

retirement. Like after 30, you know, that's it pretty much.

It's also a a kind of a a curiosity from my side of how how far can I go? You

know, I'm I'm 38 this year. You know,

how long can I push my [music] own limits? And I don't feel like I do have

limits? And I don't feel like I do have a limits. And I feel like the limits are

a limits. And I feel like the limits are normally [music] constructs in our mind.

I've seen the episode you did with the Brian Johnson the other day. And then he talked about, you know, he's by a lot of people's opinion very extreme.

But you know, he dedicated his own [music] entire life to getting the data and understanding what are the best conditions for the longest

living life that he can have for himself. Which I think it's something

himself. Which I think it's something [music] that is admirable and you know, I give him huge credit for that. And it

I understand because as a professional athlete, you know, the care for your body and your mind and the devotion to the daily habits is so tough.

That's where it started and I was like I was really trying to adapt all of the great things that I could see. And I have a kind of a photogenic memory and I'm a very a

visual person. And that was something

visual person. And that was something that was kind of expected, that is kind of common as well what you do with kids, you know, or or with young athletes, right? You watch videotapes, you try to

right? You watch videotapes, you try to analyze, try to talk.

But you know, so it taught me to really understand that tennis is not only about hitting a tennis ball over the net and counting score [music] and dreaming

about these achievements and winning Wimbledon as our uh, holy grail of tennis.

But it's it's more [music] than that.

And and I can use tennis as a platform to evolve into a better human being.

At that point, I didn't understand that.

But then as I was growing older and becoming more mature, I I start to understand the [music] importance of doing all of these practices. And I

started to expand in each of these topics that [music] that I was going through with her.

So, I'm very curious by nature. So, I

was really always looking for new ways to improve myself and improve my life on this planet, you know?

And I was very lucky to be basically have that space also from my parents.

It's a kind of a self-discovery through the self-care, through tennis really consumed most of my life. But I'm

still surprising and shocking myself on how much I actually need to still work on that and I still {quote} don't know enough about that world.

And it was really hard for me to accept that. You know, I thought, you know,

that. You know, I thought, you know, since 10, I basically started working on that and and growing the foundation, but it has evolved and has transformed so much

for me in terms of how I see myself, how I see the world.

And I thought, you know, maybe when I was at at the peak of my career and, you know, I felt like I'm unbeatable and I feel I feel like I could do anything. You know, I kind of walking on

anything. You know, I kind of walking on the water. We all experience that in in

the water. We all experience that in in in our own [music] lives in certain way and it's a great feeling.

But then the ego takes you places where it's it's hard to come back from. And

maybe you shouldn't come back from that.

Maybe you you're trying to find a balance, find the optimal measure that really works for you, but it it took me time to really accept the fact [music] that what I have learned, what I have

mastered and what I'm doing on a daily basis for the last 20 years or more is not necessarily a guarantee that I'll

always find a way and that will always work for me in this particular time of my life and circumstances that I'm facing. So that's a huge revelation for

facing. So that's a huge revelation for me because and I'm still trying to get a grasp on it [music] and and understand all of these factors that are in play that are challenging me on a daily basis

[music] and when I talk from this perspective, it's a beautiful journey that I'm trying to embrace, but when you are immersed in the dark moment, it's it's kind of hard

to to really get out of that. But also,

other athletes and how, you know, the struggles they had mentally and particularly the struggles that they had if they have not prepared themselves for that transition. I

believe that in some way you cannot fully prepare yourself for that transition mentally. Like, it's going to

transition mentally. Like, it's going to be a sad day for me when I leave tennis and it's [music] going to be very emotional and all that.

But what I'm talking about is basically the adrenaline. That also needs to be

the adrenaline. That also needs to be filtered or re-channeled somewhere. And

I know that I will play sports for the rest of my life cuz I love sports and being active is essential.

But also, I feel like you need a challenge. Tennis has consumed most of

challenge. Tennis has consumed most of my life and that's what I know how to do best.

But I have very broad interest in a lot of different things and the industry [music] or the the sphere of of life which is called health, [music]

wellness, and well-being is my biggest passion and it's very broad ecosystem or field, if if you want, as you know, because you're part of it.

But it has been my passion for 15 plus years and [music] you know, uh always imagine the world where most of the people will take care of themselves of, you know, how they

hydrate, how they eat, exercise, how they manage their sleep.

Just a healthier world. And of course, it's it's harder change everything at the same time and it of course [music] takes a lot of different time cuz this planet is big and there's a lot of people, but

I take taking small steps is very valuable and it has [music] its effect.

And the idea is that you're always on a battlefield and as you said, on the battlefield, you see the best of yourself and the worst of yourself. And

often people said that to me when I moved to LA, everyone's like, "Why do you want to be in LA? There's so much materialism, there's so much, you know, illusion here." And I said, "Well, actually, I feel like I'm on the battlefield here. So, I see the best of

battlefield here. So, I see the best of myself and I see the worst of myself."

And the worst of myself reminds me to keep going and to keep working on myself. And the best of myself allows me

myself. And the best of myself allows me to share my message with the biggest megaphone in the world. And so, it's [music] that dichotomy of actually, when you're looking for

spiritual growth, you want to be in a place that reminds you of your weaknesses as much as your strength.

Because if you are only reminded of your strength, you just have your ego. And if

you were only reminded of your weaknesses, well, then you would be depressed or disheartened.

But son, it's okay to be bored sometimes. First of all, you had a great

sometimes. First of all, you had a great active morning and you did a lot of things.

Second of all, [music] you know, when you are bored, it doesn't mean that you have to instantly take a book or a screen or anything else.

You need to also learn how to be with your thoughts.

And if you are not comfortable being bored indoors, go outdoors. Sit on a chair and have have some drink and just look at the sky.

And I And I think that's much easier said than done.

And I And I I really would love my my children to to be able [music] to be okay with being bored because that's the time when you're actually most creative

or that's the time when you can manage your thoughts and everything that you have been suppressing by distracting yourself with phone, with whatever it is. You know, it's it's a struggle, but

is. You know, it's it's a struggle, but it's important. You know, I think it's

it's important. You know, I think it's super important, particularly for them at this young age to I think that it has been talked about a lot.

Yeah, I agree.

Uh on a how Why is it that our sports are [music] so popular? Why is it that people relate to athletes? It's because

of this grit, because of this battle. We

all go through internal battle on daily basis and in sports we can, of course, admire the the features of an athlete

and the skills and the talent [music] and the abilities, but at the same time we also identify ourselves with those athletes. We we feel like

athletes. We we feel like wow, you know, that this game or a match it's in a way a condensed daily life or

a condensed life into [music] an hour or two or three where you you start at the beginning you're even, then you end up, you know, winning or losing, but in the process

our journey of the match and the game you're going through ups [music] and downs. You're going and particularly in

downs. You're going and particularly in individual sports you're going You mentioned Lewis Hamilton, [music] another great legend.

You're going through that battle of, you know, trying to win that inner battle where you go through your doubts, your [music] worries, your fears.

So, all of these of elements are part of everyday life of everyday person.

[music] And that's why I feel like people relate to sports. And they also they they when

to sports. And they also they they when they go to see sport live, particularly, but also when they watch it on TV, I feel they're able because they they are so connected to the community

of that club or that athlete or whatever it is, they feel like all of their problems stop at least for those hour two three hours that they are watching.

Where they feel like they can free themselves of the emotions and the burdens that are kind of wearing them down. But I can see that there's a lot

down. But I can see that there's a lot of people that are like That's why That's why like after a game they either feel drained or they feel energized. They either feel like they

energized. They either feel like they have kind of like collected that energy from the stadium or they feel like they're completely like a deflated balloon.