No shortcut.

When we look at those who have become very successful in their field, we often first think about how talented they are. Talent is a funny word. Sure each of us are born with certain talents, strengths that we have that others don’t excel in as easily. Height advantage, a higher vertical jump, leadership or extrovert tendencies. But Lebron James isn’t the NBA MVP because he was born 6’8” and talented. Warren Buffet isn’t a great investor because he was born with a unique talent that other investors don’t possess. People in these positions of success have worked to get to where they are. To the inexperienced, naive eye, they look like they landed in a place of success, but in reality, they worked diligently, they worked constantly, they pursued in the dark lonely hours, they didn’t take shortcuts.


All too often, we want something and we want it easy and right away. This is not how good things come to exist. If this were so, everyone would have these things. Only those who decide to intentionally pursue this greatness, and avoid distraction and the lure of shortcuts, have a chance at reaching it.
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James gets overlooked as a guy who had a natural disposition to be the best basketball player in the world. What the public doesn’t see is that this guy plays 30-35 minutes a night, and then beats his teammates to the gym in the morning and pushes through extra cardio VersaClimber workouts. He has made himself into the playoff contender, MVP, team leader that he is by outworking everyone else. There are a lot of 6’8” athletic guys out there. There are not a lot that work like James. There are no shortcuts to being great. It takes what it takes.