Hard Work Beats Talent Every time
The one who puts in twice as many hours as his peers, who studies a little longer and reads a little more, who is a little more observant than the rest and does a little extra on the job, is sure to get ahead.
There are no accidental champions.
The one who stands on the podium, who wins the prize, knows exactly what it took to get there.
Phelps’ 23 Olympic gold medals were not accidental victories, nor were Ali or Tyson’s achievements in Boxing. Nor Serena Williams' 20 year dominance in the courts. These athletes did not stumble upon their victories. They earned them outright.
It was determination and grit that got them there.
“You will not outwork me!” said Will smith at the peak of his career. “I will rather die on that treadmill before you beat me.”
Grit and determination alone leads to greatness.
Talent and Genius falls by the wayside to it.
Persistence, consistency and willpower are all that is required.
A man on his purpose can not be stopped. Nobody can beat him. That is a sure principle in life.
“There is no talent here.” Said MMA fighter Connor McGregor — speaking of his own gifts and talents to a reporter:
“There’s no talent here. This is hard work. This is an obsession. I am not talented. I am obsessed!”
When a young Mike Tyson was asked by a reporter how far he felt his talents would take him, he retorted;
“Talent‘s got nothing to do with it.”
He entertained no talks of talent. It was an insult to him. He worked-out six days a week, 10-hours-a-day, and spent a further 4 hours after that studying videos of old boxing fights, observing their moves, technique, attack and defense. His daily routine consisted of 5A.M. jogging sessions followed by a 2 hour nap then back at the gym at 8A.M. He did 500 push ups a day, 500 dips, 500 shrugs and 2000 sit-ups. Along with this he also did weightlifting and various other drills and exercises in-between sparring sessions. Hard work beat talent every time for him.
“I hated every minute of my training,” said Mohammad Ali, speaking of his boxing career:
“But I said to myself, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
And he did just that. Who doesn't know the name of Muhammad Ali today?
Tony Hawk spent ten years working on landing his 900 skateboard special, which became his trademark. While he was able to pull a 360 x2 since 1989, he couldn’t land a 900 fully. After 10 years of trying and several lost teeth, broken ribs, and concussions, he finally pulled it off at the 1999 x Games and has won the hall of fame of skateboarding legends ever since.
“Let the fool prate of luck,” said Elah weekcox in her inspiring poem:
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
That can circumvent or hinder or control
The firm resolve of a determined soul.
Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great;
All things give way to it, sooner or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty force
Of the sea-seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?
Each well-born soul must win what it deserves.
Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves,
Whose slightest action or inaction serves
The one great aim. Why, even Death stands still,
And waits an hour for such a will.
Read more in my new book! The Trials And Triumphs of Hyperachievers
