I heard a story about Gary Player I wanted to share with you.
People were watching him play golf one day and after the round a person came up to him and said, “I wish I could hit a golf ball like you. I would give anything to hit like that.”
You know what Gary said? He didn’t say he was born with the gift, and he didn’t say you can do it. No, he said, “No you don’t. You would want to hit a golf ball like me if it was easy. You know what it takes to hit a golf ball like me? It takes getting up at 5:00am every morning to hit 1000 balls until my hand bleeds, then I go to the club house to bandage my hand then go back and hit another 1000 balls.”
Nothing good comes easily. So many people see successful people and they say, “I’d give anything to be that person.” No, they wouldn’t. They don’t want to put the work in to be successful. They don’t want to put the 10,000 hours in that it takes to be successful, as Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book Outliers.
Success takes hard work. Success takes sacrifice. Success takes putting in the time and doing the hard tasks.
Those golfers you see on the PGA Tour didn’t get there by just showing up. The band you like didn’t get there by being lucky. They all got there by doing the work. Doing the time. And putting their art or craft front and center.
Today I am amazed at how many people talk about wanting to be successful, but when it comes to putting in the time, they are too busy to do the things that would make them successful.
My question is, what are you doing to be successful? What are you doing within your area of expertise to be the best you can be?
Next time you think you want to hit a golf ball like Gary Player, be a great investor like Warren Buffet, or be your company’s number one salesman, remember that 10,000 hours or 1,000 balls is just the beginning.
Until next time…I’m Marty, make every minute count.
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