Don’t you just love titles like the one above? The headlines that promise you what you want…….RIGHT NOW!
You know it’s impossible……..but you still fall for it.
You want to BELIEVE that those AMAZING results can be achieved because you have simply left it too late – and you need it NOW….or yesterday!
Then there’s the other side.
You JUST DON’T BELIEVE ANYMORE.
Someone said to me recently that someone was just ‘born to be a good distance runner.’
That’s bull.
It’s very VERY rare that someone is ‘born’ superior than anyone else at anything.
More often than not – it’s the hours spent learning and improving that is the major deciding factor.
Michael Jordan wasn’t born the greatest ever basketball player. He practiced and practiced until he was tired. Then, he would grab a drink….and then practice some more. He would practice long after the other players had left.
Similarly with David beckham – who just spoke about his time with now retiring Alex Ferguson
Same with Tiger Woods. (Click to read his 12 hour practice day!)
While I am nowhere in the same league as the above – I believe myself to be a great all-round athlete in that I can adapt to most sports. I’m fast, strong, and move pretty well.
Was I born that way? NO! I was fortunate enough for my parents to send me to various activities like football, gymnastics, athletics and badminton…and I was determined to work hard be good at these sports. I am 100% sure it is down to practice. I am equally really bad at things like practical DIY and anything to do with a car engine…..because I have not spent time on learning the skills!
It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours to be considered ‘an expert’ or ‘great’ at something. (Malcolm gladwell)
If you didn’t have the opportunity to practice sporting activities when you were young – you may have a disadvantage than some who do…………BUT your journey is just starting in a different place.
You decide if you need or want more practice.
You decide where you stack the odds of getting better at whatever it is…… whether it is running a mile in a quicker time, bench pressing your bodyweight a number of times or playing the piano.
Our world is filled with ‘right now’ results……but it’s a lie.
The easiest way to make progress is to make some time for your activity every day (maybe 5-20minutes) and work hard in that short period of time. If you miss a day – it’s not the end of the world……..but I firmly believe that 5 minutes 6-7 days a week is better than 6 days of nothing and then 1 day of 30minutes.
After all….you will lose track of feedback. You will have forgotten where you left off, what was difficult, what you were good at. What it felt like.
So take each day a step at a time – and make a commitment to be better than you were yesterday 🙂
John