Everybody wants to be great until greatness requires something from them.
I wanted to be an Olympian.
I wanted to represent my country.
I wanted to wear the uniform.
I wanted to stand on the world’s biggest stage and forever be able to say that I was an Olympian.
I was a good athlete and a talented team handball player.
Good enough to make the Men’s National Team.
Good enough, I thought, to make the Olympic Team.
At some point, however, I started believing my own press clippings.
I began to think that my talent had earned me a spot.
I became less disciplined.
Less committed.
Less willing to make the sacrifices that had helped me get there in the first place.
I stopped doing some of the work when nobody was watching.
Not all at once.
Just little things.
The extra workout.
The additional practice.
The constant pursuit of improvement.
I convinced myself that what I had already done would be enough.
Right up until it wasn’t.
When the Olympic Team was announced, my name wasn’t on the list.
It was one of the most painful disappointments of my life.
At the time, I felt devastated.
Looking back, I realize something important.
I earned that disappointment.
Not because I wasn’t talented enough.
Because I wasn’t disciplined enough.
I wanted the rewards of being an Olympian without continuing to make the sacrifices required to become one.
The experience taught me a lesson that has stayed with me for more than forty years.
Talent alone is never enough.
Potential is never enough.
Past success is never enough.
The people who achieve extraordinary things are rarely the most gifted.
They are often the most disciplined.
They continue to improve when others become comfortable.
They continue to work when others begin to coast.
They continue to sacrifice when others begin to celebrate.
The moment we take our foot off the gas and start relying on yesterday’s accomplishments, we begin surrendering tomorrow’s opportunities.
“A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.”
Where could you do a little more today?
What are you willing to sacrifice to become the best leader you are capable of becoming?
And what will the regret feel like if you never discover what you were truly capable of achieving?
