I’m a sports addict. And after decades of watching the greatest athletes across many sports, I’ve learned that there isn’t always a big difference between an “elite” and an “average” player.
Many elite professionals are only marginally more skilled than everyday pros and some are even less physically gifted than the rest.
Yet there’s one factor that consistently separates the elite from the average—and it’s one that you can adopt to help you in your own journey:
The elite always find a way to perform their best when they’re not feeling their best.
When they’re exhausted, hurt, struggling with their technique, or getting unlucky breaks, they consistently find a way to summon all their abilities and battle through. They don’t wait until they feel 100% to go out and dominate; they will themselves to victory, difficulties and all.
You maybe feel healthy for 20 percent of your season, and the other 80 percent you’re grinding and trying to find a way to make it through the game or make it into the game. For a guy to play 1,000, there’s a lot of games where he’s thinking, ‘Oh gosh, how am I going to get through this one? How am I going to get feeling where I can play at a high level?’ That’s the thing a lot of people don’t understand.
— Ryan Suter
The best athletes manage to win while an average player with the same challenges would fall apart. According to former baseball player and current manager, Joe Girardi: “That’s what aces are able to do. That’s why they win so many games. Sometimes, they don’t have their best stuff, but they find a way.”
That right there is the lesson to help you become more successful: It’s not how you perform when things are ideal—it’s how you perform when things are not ideal that separates you from the pack.
Look, anyone can do well when they have the perfect night of sleep, feel super motivated, and have a wide-open schedule. But when you have life issues you’re struggling with, when you have health problems that drain you, or when you don’t feel inspired, how well do you perform? Can you dig deep to find the energy and motivation to keep going despite whatever bullshit is in your way?
Many people, instead, wait for the perfect moment to take action. They’re waiting for themselves to feel 100%, or they’re waiting until life is free of problems, obligations, and more.
But the unfortunate thing is they’ll end up waiting a long time because life will never be completely free of problems.
You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.
— Jerry West
Less than a year ago, I started writing on Medium. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to write a lot of articles and grow a following without knowing what the hell I was doing. (Then again, I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing LOL.)
But here’s a secret I don’t really share: During that time, there were many many days I was battling something in my life. I had to deal with a lot of shit being stuck alone in a struggling, foreign country during the pandemic. I had health problems that affected me for numerous weeks. I made over 40 trips to the only decent hospital and physical therapy clinic around. (Imagine me writing articles in a shitty waiting room with no tables or Wi-Fi.)
I also had to endure rioting, teargas, armored vehicles, water cannons, and looting literally right in front of my apartment.
And as I’m writing this article right now, I have food poisoning.
But I’m still going. I still do my projects. I still work on my goals. I don’t make excuses. Yes, there are times I need to rest completely. Yes, there are times when working too hard can do more harm than good. But the rest of the time, I still find a way to make it happen. And while I’m not working full-strength days as I’m recovering, I’m still consistently taking action each day.
Ultimately, if you’re trying to achieve something you truly want in life, you have to make the effort, no matter what’s going on in life.
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Here’s another example: Back when we had 60-hour-long curfews during the worst of the pandemic, I did workouts with a 6-pack of water bottles, and I ran up and down the stairs of my apartment building. Why? Because I knew if I waited until all the gyms re-opened (or were safe enough to use), I would probably go over a year without exercise — and I wasn’t going to let that happen.
But I wasn’t alone: Plenty of people channeled their inner MacGyver to find a way to exercise at home no matter what. Yet the interesting thing is, right now, there are people who want to get in shape but are still waiting for the perfect moment to start a new workout program or diet.
But the brutal truth is if they can’t start right now with all of life’s imperfections, they probably still won’t start even when the perfect moment finally arrives—meanwhile, their body will continue its gradual decline.
Look, I’m not saying any of this to get pity or to criticize people for not exercising. (Don’t get it twisted.)
But at a certain point, we all have to look ourselves in the mirror and be honest:
Are we—or are we not—willing to make the sacrifices and make the effort to do what we want despite whatever shit is going on in our lives? If you aren’t, that’s okay—accept your decision, stop thinking about it, and move on.
But if you are, you will have unlocked something far more powerful than anything you can find in a book, online course, or mastermind group.
You’ll have tenacity. You’ll have grit. You’ll have desire. You’ll have resilience.
And ask any sports coach and they’ll tell you they want a team full of people like that. You can’t coach that. You have to decide that.
How bad do you want the things you want in life? How hard are you willing to work to turn those dreams into reality?
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’
— Muhammad Ali
There is No Perfect Moment
Don’t wait for the perfect moment to get started. Start with what you have now.
Seize every single opportunity and advantage you have. Sure, it would be nice to have more blessings and fewer problems (tell me about it), but how can you maximize what’s sitting right in front of you?
The Universe is funny: It won’t give you more until you make the most of what you already have. And if you can build the habit of capitalizing on what’s in front of you, you’ll be ready for life to give you a helluva lot more.
We live in a kind and loving universe, and the rule is ‘Until you show you can handle what you’ve got, you won’t get any more!’
—T. Harv Eker
Take action, especially when you’re not feeling 100%.
Because while other people are waiting for their obstacles to go away, you’ll make moves and move forward in your life — and you’ll get the things you want while those people are still stuck.
That is how you separate yourself from the pack. That is how you reach higher levels in life. And that is how you succeed.
Are you ready? Let’s go.
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