[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by h8kurdt

See this is the whole point. This idea that you can become successful in anything just by not having to practice as much as others is a total myth. All the greats in sports, whether it be Roger Federer, Michael Jordan (remember that Nike advert he did about failing?), Tiger Woods, and all the greats in music and art etc. etc. didn't get to their position just by simply coasting.
And how many times do you hear these people being told how talented and gifted they are? What people aren't seeing is the hours upon hours upon hours of practice they did to get to their position.

And that's the point. This idea they these people had something unattainable to the average Joe simply isn't true.

it's the "10,000 hours" notion from malcom gladwell-- 10,000 hours of practice will make you an expert at anything. great book, and he makes an interesting analysis of the success of the beatles. the value of hard work, etc. which is crucial to any success.

i don't remember the michael jordan ad-- probably never seen it. i do seem to remember reading somewhere that jordan was a mediocre player in high school and he just practiced until he became great.

but see, i don't believe that he became the greatest player with sheer practice. maybe he was lazy before, and the practice unlocked his potential. both have to go hand-in-hand. without practice, you get "wasted talent". with practice you definitely get improvement but not necessarily "genius." I could practice basketball all day and all i'd get is tendinitis.

i had a friend in high school who tried to write poetry on the basis of sheer determination. we were encouraging and never mocked him, but man, he sucked. he just didn't have it. you'd read his stuff and all you'd see is the effort of following prescribed formulas. fortunately for all he quit and got into engineering and business. he always wanted money so that worked out for him. he could have written all day but he was not going to be the next pablo neruda.

anyway, practice is essential to any improvement but don't let people sell you myths that "if you can dream it you can do anything." i mean, the limits of human endurance and ability are not known to anyone yet, so if you enjoy or want something badly definitely give it your best. and if you like rock climbing then consistent practice will make you a better climber.

but know that there are no guarantees that you'll be the michael jordan of rock climbing. maybe you can, hard work does not guarantee it. in the end we can't all beat world records, so the journey should be its own reward-- getting as good as you can for your own enjoyment. you can't wait to enjoy yourself until you become a myth. otherwise it's a waste of life-- right?