Genes Don't Make Champions
Many of you have experienced times in your lives when you were unstoppable. For example, that workout at the gym where you benched 10 or 20 pounds more than your previous best, that basketball game where you were nailing every jump shot, or even days when you were on top of your game at school or at your job. During those times, nothing could stop you – the sky was the limit. And then that horrible thing called self doubt set in. “That enormous weight I lifted was a fluke or I’m no Michael Jordan,” runs through your head. And with that, you resign back to your life of mediocrity. Because, after all, you’re not that strong. You aren’t even half as good as Michael Jordan was at the age of ten. And that guy in the cubicle next to yours who is always at the office will always outperform you at work. Why? Because genetically, you weren’t programmed to be that good. Makes sense, right? NO! That kind of attitude is for LOSERS. For the past few years, the one thing in life that has upset me more than any other is wasted potential. EVERY single one of you has awesome potential. Yet many of you will never fulfill it. Why? Because you fall into the common pitfall of thinking of yourself as average. Yes, there is some role in genes. Obviously, someone who is very tall is more likely to be in the NBA than someone who is very short; someone who lifted 300 pounds over his head the first time he picked up a weight is more likely to become a champion lifter, and someone with a 180 IQ is more likely to become a rocket scientist. HOWEVER, the role of genetics is GROSSLY overused when making comparisons. Why do people excel? What makes success stories? Hard work. Pure and simple. The difference between you and that champion is the thousands of hours he or she has put in to become the best. I don’t care how talented Michael Jordan was the first time he picked up a basketball – he has put in countless hours on the court to become the greatest champion ever. Same with Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, or that great teacher or professor you had at school. Greatness came through hard work. Had any of those people relied on genetics they would be sitting on the couch now, flipping through the channels with a bag of potato chips and a can of beer at their side. There are countless examples of people with little natural talent who rose to the top through hard work and persistence. Look at Larry Bird. Anyone who knows anything about basketball will agree that he wasn't blessed with a lot of natural physical ability, but on the court he was pure magic – hustling for every loose ball, nailing many seemingly impossible 3-point shots, using skill, quickness, and hard work both on and off the court to be the best. Look at Maxick – the famous turn of the century lifter who was the first man to lift double his weight over his head, despite being a chronically ill child who at best everyone expected to lead a bedridden life. Look at Stevie Wonder, who became a great musician and piano player even though he’s blind. All of these people rose to the top through hard work and perseverance. Not by giving up because they had no natural advantages. Not by settling for second best. Next time any of you are having a tough time at the gym or on the court or field or in life, think of what you just read here, and get right back to what you were doing and nail it!
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