“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
As the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, reminds us, excellence is not a static event, it’s a process.
There’s no such thing as an “overnight” success.
When we see excellence, what we are actually seeing is just the “tip of the iceberg.” We rarely, if ever, see the commitment, dedication, time, and effort that invariably contributes to the end result.
Excellence requires hours, days, and even months and years of practice and purposeful repetition. No one achieves greatness without a significant investment over time.
And it’s not just about sports. The same applies for school, work, relationships, and life.
My Mom used to preach patience to my siblings and me, telling us, “If it’s worth having, it’s worth waiting for.” I would add “working” to the “waiting,” in that quote, since you can’t just wait for it to happen, you’ve also got to work to make it happen (but, I’m sure my Mom knew that, too).
Frequently, I have parents who bring their sons and/or daughters to my facility — during their sport season — having come to the realization that junior needs to get stronger, faster, and more powerful in order to earn playing time or be competitive in his or her respective sport. And, with my help, they want their child to accomplish it… now.
I think some of them truly believe (or hope) that strength, speed, and power development works like a microwave oven: Put the food in the oven, press a button, wait a moment or two, and… voila! It’s ready — finished product.
Self-improvement is a process, as is self-development.
You’ve got to put in the time. And the effort.
