June 26, 2018 |

No Secrets

I recently watched a video clip of Ray Allen talking about “The Last Shot”. Ray is an NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist who is destined for the Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s famous for his ability to hit jump shots under pressure in game-winning situations.
A couple of his comments stood to out me. The first is, “What I gauge myself on is how well I perform through exhaustion.” By definition, game-winning situations happen at the end of games…when everyone is tired. Those who can perform at a high level, in spite of fatigue, have a better chance of winning.
The second comment was about making game-winning shots: “It’s a chemistry between your mind and your body. It’s about rehearsal. It’s knowing you put in the right amount of time, the quality of time so that it pays off in that moment when it needs to pay off.”
There are no secrets to achieving excellence. It doesn’t matter if it’s basketball, basket weaving, or business. You must practice – to and through exhaustion. You must rehearse until you are unconsciously competent; creating a chemistry between your mind and your body. If you watch great business people, you can see it. How they handle themselves in a room, how they deliver a presentation, how they execute a sales call, how they negotiate a deal.
Life is a craft. Living is a craft. Success is a craft. Few people are willing to work hard enough at their craft to reap the benefits…the benefits of knowing they put in the right amount of time and the quality of time so it pays off in that moment it needs to pay off. How about you?