Accept What It Takes To Be Great

“People often practice what they know how to do rather than trying to master something they can’t yet do. Effective forms of practice are hard work and generally not fun.” - Dr. Anders Ericsson. Florida State University Psychology Professor

Champions have fun winning and getting better. If they’re not getting better and seeing results, they work harder and spend more time practicing. They never reach a comfort zone. Every mistake is pointed out, analyzed and corrected. If they accept repeated mistakes in practice then they’ll create a bad habit that will cost them under moments of pressure.

Champions have fun pushing the envelope, seeing how good they can be at something seemingly so difficult no one else can do it. They hate the fact that a peer can do something better than them. That thought eats at them. It motivates them. It pushes them until they’re not just as good as the peer, but better. And when they’re finally better, they look for the next challenge.

How comfortable was your last practice? Did you have a lot of fun? How long were your water breaks relative to your time hitting balls? Did you ever reach a moment where you were completely out of breath? Is there another kid your age doing a harder drill? Why aren’t you doing that same drill?

The majority of tennis players never maximize their potential because they lose the mental battle of searching for comfort. As soon as a new drill becomes difficult, they get frustrated and don’t want to do it anymore. Instead of being motivated by the thought of accomplishing something new, they’re demoralized by the idea they might not be good enough. Their ego screams at them to run away and protect whatever self image they have. They’d rather do something they’re good at to feel good about themselves than be miserable practicing the very thing they need to improve to win more matches. 

But the only way to the top is to climb that wall. Overcome obstacle after obstacle. The journey to raise that trophy is a never ending climb filled with constant self criticism, difficult challenges and maximum effort. It’s hard. It’s painful. It’s demanding.

But it’s worth it.

Overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles is also the only way to experience such extreme moments of happiness that you cry tears of joy. It’s the only way to experience a moment where you scream “YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH” at the top of your lungs and not care what anyone thinks. You did it. And that’s all that matters.

After I won my first professional singles titles after taking two years off I cried on the court. I cried and I was ecstatic. I cried because of how much I suffered to get there. I suffered in practice shredding my body apart to lose 20 lbs. I suffered from my never ending self criticism to do better. I suffered in the final as I had blisters on two of my fingers that were bleeding onto my racket. I couldn’t hold the racket and my opponent was destroying me. But it didn’t matter. I knew the effort required to win a professional event.

I see a lot of kids who set mediocre goals to hide themselves from the pain required to be one of the best. They lie to themselves instead of being honest and admitting they don’t want it enough. They run away from the sacrifice required to climb the mountain. 

Worst of all, they’re depriving themselves of the most exciting moments a person can experience. And they’re depriving themselves of the journey that forces them to grow as human beings. 

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” - Theodore Roosevelt