How many of you know Richard Krajicek? And How many of you know Roger Federer? Usually a significantly more number of people. Richard Krajicek and Roger Federer have a common achievement - they both have won the Wimbledon. But still everyone knows Roger Federer but only a few can recognise Krajicek. The question is why? Krajicek won the Wimbledon once which is good but Federer has won the Wimbledon a record 9 times which is great. This is the difference between good and great. We all know a lot of good people but great people? Only a handful.
The journey from good to great is perhaps the most coveted one as well as the most difficult one. A lot of people undertake this journey but only a few can make it. Achieving something difficult once is good but achieving it consistently is great. This is what marks out the champions from the ordinary. You don’t win the silver you lose the gold. History will remember that Germany won the football world cup in 2014 but it wouldn’t remember that Argentina came second or the Netherlands team which came third.
Sports is a wonderful place where you will find a clear demarcation between good and great. And one common tool for success which every champion has in his/her locker is hard work. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Take the example of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Vinod Kambli dare I say was a more talented player than Tendulkar. However, Tendulkar had that fire in the belly; the burning desire to succeed at any cost and not give up which gave him the edge over Kambli. At the end of every practice session when young Tendulkar was absolutely knackered both physically and mentally his coach used to place a coin on the top of his stumps. The challenge was that if Tendulkar wasn’t dismissed, he would get that coin. And Tendulkar always won that coin. It wasn’t the coin which was the reason for renewed vigour rather it was the challenge to get the coin which kept him going.
It is true that winners don’t do different things; they do things differently. The great pioneer Steve Jobs was a prime example of this. Steve Jobs it is said that before any apple product launch followed a 5x5x5 rule. 5 days to create the presentation, 5 days to review, 5 days to practice his delivery. Why do you think a billionaire would spend 15 days in preparing to launch a product? It is because he only believed in being the best and left no stone unturned to achieve his goals. I have often complained about delivering a wonderful speech according to me but still not winning the contest. Forget the 5x5x5 approach; did I even try the 2x2x2 approach? Do you try that? Unfortunately most of us don’t and that is precisely the reason why we all remain good but cannot become great.
Champions do not compete against others, their only competition is themselves. Can I do better than what I did yesterday? Can I jump a little bit higher than I jumped yesterday? Instead of worrying about how the other contestants delivered their speeches in the International Speech contest cannot I ensure that I deliver such a speech which eclipses everyone else’s? How can that be achieved? Persistence to be the best and once you reach that level consistency to do it day in day out. There is no point being a shooting star which will illuminate the sky for a few seconds, instead try to be the brightest star which can be viewed every day.
Yes the path from good to great is tough and there will be countless failures - Thomas Alva Edison after inventing the electric light bulb on the 1001st attempt merely stated that I didn’t fail a 1000 times; I merely found 1000 ways in which the light bulb cannot be made. Do you think history would remember him if he gave up after say the 500th attempt? No. But he kept on plugging away because he did not believe in merely being good, he wanted to be great.
Friends, remember it is your attitude and not your aptitude which will determine your altitude - and once you reach that altitude...simply raise the bar higher because... Sky is the Limit, the Lower Limit
The journey from good to great is perhaps the most coveted one as well as the most difficult one. A lot of people undertake this journey but only a few can make it. Achieving something difficult once is good but achieving it consistently is great. This is what marks out the champions from the ordinary. You don’t win the silver you lose the gold. History will remember that Germany won the football world cup in 2014 but it wouldn’t remember that Argentina came second or the Netherlands team which came third.
Sports is a wonderful place where you will find a clear demarcation between good and great. And one common tool for success which every champion has in his/her locker is hard work. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Take the example of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Vinod Kambli dare I say was a more talented player than Tendulkar. However, Tendulkar had that fire in the belly; the burning desire to succeed at any cost and not give up which gave him the edge over Kambli. At the end of every practice session when young Tendulkar was absolutely knackered both physically and mentally his coach used to place a coin on the top of his stumps. The challenge was that if Tendulkar wasn’t dismissed, he would get that coin. And Tendulkar always won that coin. It wasn’t the coin which was the reason for renewed vigour rather it was the challenge to get the coin which kept him going.
It is true that winners don’t do different things; they do things differently. The great pioneer Steve Jobs was a prime example of this. Steve Jobs it is said that before any apple product launch followed a 5x5x5 rule. 5 days to create the presentation, 5 days to review, 5 days to practice his delivery. Why do you think a billionaire would spend 15 days in preparing to launch a product? It is because he only believed in being the best and left no stone unturned to achieve his goals. I have often complained about delivering a wonderful speech according to me but still not winning the contest. Forget the 5x5x5 approach; did I even try the 2x2x2 approach? Do you try that? Unfortunately most of us don’t and that is precisely the reason why we all remain good but cannot become great.
Champions do not compete against others, their only competition is themselves. Can I do better than what I did yesterday? Can I jump a little bit higher than I jumped yesterday? Instead of worrying about how the other contestants delivered their speeches in the International Speech contest cannot I ensure that I deliver such a speech which eclipses everyone else’s? How can that be achieved? Persistence to be the best and once you reach that level consistency to do it day in day out. There is no point being a shooting star which will illuminate the sky for a few seconds, instead try to be the brightest star which can be viewed every day.
Yes the path from good to great is tough and there will be countless failures - Thomas Alva Edison after inventing the electric light bulb on the 1001st attempt merely stated that I didn’t fail a 1000 times; I merely found 1000 ways in which the light bulb cannot be made. Do you think history would remember him if he gave up after say the 500th attempt? No. But he kept on plugging away because he did not believe in merely being good, he wanted to be great.
Friends, remember it is your attitude and not your aptitude which will determine your altitude - and once you reach that altitude...simply raise the bar higher because... Sky is the Limit, the Lower Limit
