Champions win on their “off day.” Michael Jordan’s D game beats almost everyone else’s A game.

U.S. Navy Seals and special forces have an incredible mindset of overcoming any odds, any obstacle, any storm.

And to be the Best You Ever, that’s what it takes — no excuses. Excuses = Disempowerment. Period.

Be so awesome and legendary at what you do, at your craft — that even on your worst day you still perform at a high level. (My video titled, “The Power of No Excuses” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BzyC1A0SIw

No matter how valid your excuses might be — KILL THEM OFF. Yes, ok, you slipped on a banana peel on the way to your big performance or important negotiation — and people will laugh when you tell the story years from now, but they won’t feel sorry for you because you fell on your back and the unexpected stress and pain hindered your performance.

The truth is, the vast majority of people don’t feel sorry for you. They don’t care.

So stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop making excuses — because doing so only deprives you of the lessons you can extract from situations, lessons that will improve you and your performances.

You only need to read the sports pages daily, study the quotes from coaches and athletes, to grasp how even the vast majority of world-class athletes have excuses buried in their subconscious mind, excuses that sabotage their success. The massive number of excuse-makers, even in the upper stratospheres of any industry and sports, is shocking.

And what is worse — most professionals don’t even realize they’re making these subtle, often under-the-radar excuses.

Some examples of Excuses that Most People Don’t Realize Are Excuses: 

My opponent is on steroids. All these guys are on steroids. 

I injured my knee last week and it’s still tender and hurts. I’m not sure I can beat these guys on my bad knee. I can’t perform like I normally do. 

They train in better facilities than we do. They have better coaches and training partners than we do. And iron sharpens iron, so … 

My opponent is ranked No. 1 in the world. She’s the best. She’s awesome. She’s beaten me five straight times. I hope that so-and-so upsets her in the semis so that I don’t have to face her in the finals … 

I could go on for days … but it gets nauseating reading them, right? It gets old real quick, right?

Now, a lot of you read what I just wrote above … and you’re actually thinking to yourself, “But some of those excuses are valid! They’re not really excuses, they’re just facts! And those facts do influence the outcome, they do matter!

“If someone’s on steroids that is cheating! It’s wrong!”

And you protest further: “If I really hurt my knee, of course I’m not going to be at 100 percent, of course I have a right to think about my knee because it’s true!

But I’m telling you … thinking these kinds of thoughts (which are really excuses in disguise) … accomplishes nothing more than distracting you from being 100 percent present, 100 percent in the moment, 100 percent focused on doing your job the absolute best that you can under any circumstances (no matter how adverse or difficult the situation). Far better to put 100 percent of your focus on what you can control.

You’re an athlete, not USADA.

It doesn’t matter if it’s true that your opponent is on steroids –yes, steroids and illegal performance enhancing drugs are rampant in most major sports. Sadly. And because of the steroids and PED epidemic this becomes an excuse that a lot of “clean” steroid-free pro athletes can use, “My opponents are on ‘roids.” But here’s the rub: Until they get popped (if they get popped) You still gotta’ find a way to beat ’em. You still gotta be so great that you whoop ’em. You still have to rise up and give your best.

And if you’re so worried about how physically strong and fast and explosive the other guy is … well, that’s a fantastic excuse to use if your goal is psyching yourself out. On a subconscious level, when you’re worried about the other guy using ‘roids — even if it’s true — what you are telling yourself deep down subconsciously is, “It’s OK if I lose, because he’s a cheater and he’s on ‘roids and he’s going to be stronger and more explosive than me.” And that will sabotage success and diminish your performance.

A much better mindset, even if you suspect an opponent is on ‘roids, would be: “He’s on ‘roids, but I’m still going to whip ’em. I’m still going to dominate him. I’ll still be stronger than him. I’m going to out-hustle him, out-smart him, out-everything him. I’m going to deliver the finest performance of my life today. I’m going to be 100 percent in the moment and trust my training and my technique. I’m so damn good at what I do that even the guys on ‘roids can’t beat me. It’s my day. It’s my time.”

Extreme, you say … but tell that to the Muhammad Alis, Conor McGregors, Bruce Lees, Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s and Ray Lewis’s of the world.

And as far as injury excuses and self-dialogue go … look, if you’re really mangled and severely busted up … well, everyone has a different pain threshold. If the injury is going to distract you, if it’s going to dent your confidence, well then don’t compete athletically. Don’t.

Because Rule No. 1, the most sacred rule in Championship Mindset, .. is Never Beat Yourself. Never psyche yourself out. Never make it easier for an opponent. Beating Yourself is the Cardinal Sin of Peak Performances, the kryptonite to Peak Performance. Giving the other gal too much credit, and too little to yourself. Making them out to be Godzilla, while you’re this little guppy.

Now, I can sit here and tell you ad nauseam stories of seriously injured athletes who nevertheless performed phenomenally on game day. Wrestler Dan Gable and his torn knee at the 1972 Olympic Games, a severely dehydrated and food-poisoned Michael Jordan in the NBA finals, a hobbled Willis Reed inspiring the New York Knicks to Game 7 Glory in the NBA finals against Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19691970.html

As a wrestler and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player I’ve competed with significant injuries too many times to count. And every time you choose to show up to a competition or a meeting, you are telling the world that you’re not going to make excuses. You’re not going to use the injury as an excuse. Because if you are going to use the injury as an excuse — DON’T SHOW UP. Don’t do that to your opponents. Don’t deprive them or disrespect them by using that excuse. It’s not their fault you have a significant injury. A competition only means, WHO IS THE BEST ON THIS DAY … and you have to choose to go to battle with the ammo you have and make the best of it. Sometime there are 3,000 of them and 300 of you — and you still have to fight and win the battle. You still must find a way. 

Don’t have any excuse waiting at the ready — because excuses have a way of diminishing how hard we fight. Because you’ve got the justification waiting if you lose. Because you’ve made it OK in the back of your mind. Because you’re already having bad thoughts and worrying about the outcome and doubting yourself — when the reality is that 100 percent of your focus should be on the moment, on the task at hand. You need to be present every second of the match, every second of the performance, to do what you’ve trained years to do. You need to have utmost faith and confidence in your skills and technique and forget about the injury or adapt your style (as Dan Gable did — and no opponent scored a single point on him at the Olympic Games). Always have utmost faith in your skills when you perform.

Champions don’t make excuses. You know what champions are focused on: Winning. Surviving. Thriving. Getting the job done. Being present. Dominating. Overcoming Adversity. Welcoming challenges. Always knowing there is more within them that can be summoned — and knowing that great challenges force us to grow and dig deeper, great challenges illuminate power within a lot of people wouldn’t otherwise have known they possessed.

So if you choose to compete, don’t worry at all about the hurt knee. Worry not about how the other guy’s coach is supposedly a jedi or a ninja. Don’t hope the No.1 seed gets upset so that you don’t have to face her. Welcome the challenges. Embrace the adversity. Trust your training and technique. Be 100 percent present in the moment, second by second — block out every thing else in the world and focus only on the job at hand. Win the battle in your own Mind, win at focusing 100 percent on the task at hand, and the outcome will take care of itself.