I recently watched a video about Tom Brady who is arguably the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. At 40 years old, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down like many have predicted. Brady is easy to hate. Just ask anyone who isn’t a New England fan.
The easy thing to do is resent people who are more successful than you are. Attributing their success to luck, inborn talent, or some other advantage they have that you don’t is easy because everything but their shining moments are hidden to you. But when you peek behind-the-scenes, you see that people who are truly great are that way because they are willing to prepare better and more consistently than everyone else. You see that there is no special advantage or talent. There is just the constant willingness to spend more hours doing boring work.
In the video, Brady reveals his obsession with watching game film. He has spent tens of thousands of hours absorbing every aspect of the game from formations to body language. His eyes catch nuances most people miss, and the new knowledge taps into his deep intuitive understanding of the game.
Dominating your field at the highest level requires preparation at the highest level. Preparing at the highest level means putting in more boring work than anyone else. It means practicing the fundamentals until they become muscle-memory, then practicing some more. It means shaping your routine and your life around the perfection of your craft. It means committing to more discipline than normal.
To resent greatness is to admit defeat before running the race.
To admire greatness is to understand that mastery is created, not given. Anyone can create it with enough time, humility, and discipline.