The article does correctly point to what consistent effort can create when said effort is in a situation wherein it lends itself to generating results.
But the concept of "just showing up" really doesn't cut it in matters like careers; it's quite possible to show up at the job fairs and job boards year after year, only to find nothing, and quite possible to show up at one's job and not truly build a career.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce Achterberg  [i]
“Showing up” will get you in the door, but to tap into that other 20% -- to move from “pretty good” results to the results of a champion -- one has to be willing to put in the hard work to not only get there, but also surpass any limitations that s/he may encounter. Sadly, many people are quite satisfied with mediocre to “pretty good” results.The good news is that there is no secret to being a champion -- there is only the “hard” work, the exhilarating challenge standing between you and conquest. “But what about natural talent? Aren't some people born gifted?”, I hear you ask. And to that, in an attempt put those questions to rest while trying to keep this post relatively brief, I'll point you in the direction of a very interesting article I read recently: Secrets of greatness: Practice and hard work bring success |
No doubt practice and hard work bring success, but we should still note the level of success or the definition of being a champion. Few shooting guards have reached Michael Jordan's degree of ability. There may be many who share his work ethic, but we have yet to find his equal.
Since Mr. Pavlina wrote about martial arts, we might also note that the Kung Fu community has yet to find another Bruce Lee. I'm sure there are other fanatically dedicated Kung Fu practitioners out there.
Then there is the matter on being able to afford the degree of work required to gain said mastery or expertise. I'm certain we could all gain a significant amount of Kempo experience by regularly practicing at a Kempo class (as Mr. Pavlina has demonstrated), but there's the matter of opportunity cost, and also of how those of us who are not martial arts professionals could support such an avocation if taken to the extreme described as being a "champion". For the rest of us who are not willing to take something to that extreme, we'll have to accept being mediocre or at best ordinarily good martial arts practitioners and keep practicing it as a hobby.