Bird, Lombardi & Time.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
~ Vince Lombardi

What would you say are the most commonly agreed ingredients baked into the cake we all call success? Most would put Time, Preparation, Passion and Willpower very high on the list. Gladwell, in his hugely successful book, said it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become preeminent at anything. Virtually every coach on earth has said, in one way or another, the will to win is worthless without the will to practice and prepare. I would even go as far to say that the difference between success and failure lies in how much we are willing to do and how far we are willing to go to achieve our aims. We all want success, and say so frequently, but then we take great offense to those who point out the fact that we just aren't willing to "No Matter What" it. Conditions, priorities and circumstance change things and we rationalize away our dreams. Many years ago I read a couple of stories that made a huge impact on me. Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach, would impress upon his players to always arrive fifteen minutes early for anything. To prepare, compose their thoughts and pre plan. I thought at the time I read the story "What if I took this to an extreme? - What if I arrived two hours before others? - Imagine the head start I could get" This one simple technique became a guiding concept which ensured "If I'm ever late it means I'm not coming". Now I'm not advocating this regimen for everyone but I am saying "Lombardi time" makes a lot of sense - without exception. And what of Larry Bird who every day before school went out and practiced two hundred free throws? Before school, during recess, and well into the night he practiced to such a degree that others thought him to be a young man obsessed. Two examples of men who put in well over 10,000 hours of consistent, disciplined, work and became known as giants in their field. Everyone wants success. Yet very few are willing to do what it takes. I humbly submit the reason we fall short, in anything, is an unwillingness to do what it takes.