As a child growing up, I can remember my father telling me, “It doesn’t matter what sport you might be playing, or what job you might be doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the smartest guy in the room or the least talented player on the field, what matters most is that you always give your best effort.” It’s comments like this that make me realize that although my dad was never one of my actual coaches, in the literal sense, he was indeed a stealthy life coach who threw in the occasional nuggets like these.
Many of you may think that the “give your best” concept is fundamental. Sadly, that’s not the case. I often witness people who are so incredibly talented to the point that they know they don’t have to work as hard as others. Oddly, their talent becomes a barrier to greatness. How many times have you seen or read about the athlete who was born with the incredible gift of innate talent. They can do things at a level that others can only dream about. But because they lack proper drive, work ethic and mindset, they are destined for failure. What a waste.
Then you have those who hold a modest level of talent and with that, they possess the desire to become better, have an incredibly positive mindset, and know they must worker harder than others to be the best. As a result, they go on to achieve elite status in their respective sports.
If you’re like most of us who know we are not the most talented at what we do, then you’re likely the one who gives your best each day, striving toward personal growth and personal best. I hope that’s the case anyway.
TERRY Talks 