Factors That Contribute To Evolving Into A Champion
Shelli Schilke
AI-Driven Marketing and Customized Chatbots for Results You Can Measure and Impact You Can Feel
What do Serena Williams, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs have in common? Or how about Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, and Mark Zuckerberg?
Yes, they’re famous people. And yes, they have a ton of money. But you could also say that they are champions.
If I asked you to pick three people (dead or alive) who embody the qualities of a champion, who would you choose? Take a few minutes to think about that.
Did any of them win first prize or first place in a competition?
Were they someone who is (or was) the BEST of the BEST at what they do?
What do you think made them champions??
What I love about people who are champions or those who aspire to be is that there are no restrictions to becoming one in terms of...
In general, anyone who wants to be highly successful in life can be great at anything they want. Of course, it helps to love what you do, be relentless at making it happen, and have a natural talent for it.
Some would argue that lots of practice is the key to success.
The debate on whether “innate talent” or “deliberate practice” is what matters most to attain real mastery has been going on for decades. Sounds a lot like nature versus nurture if you ask me.
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Back in 1993, researchers found that practice accounts for 80 percent of the difference between elite and average musicians.
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Author Malcolm Gladwell also leaned heavily towards deliberate practice in his book Outliers, which was number one on the bestseller lists for The New York Times and The Globe and Mail in 2008.
Gladwell was curious to know how a person’s environment, personal drive, and motivation affected their opportunities for success and their ability to master a skill.
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Throughout his book, Gladwell repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule” which was based on a study done by the late Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology Anders Ericsson. Ericsson was known as the “world’s top expert on expertise.” He spent much of his career studying the world’s top athletes, musicians, chess players, and others as well as the factors that contributed to achieving world-class expertise in their field. He pioneered the concept that it takes 10,000 hours of hyper-focused, deliberate practice to achieve mastery.
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Gladwell said that “ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” He claims that the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of around 10,000 hours. Gladwell used several success stories as case studies in his book including J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Beatles, Bill Gates, and himself.
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10,000 hours to greatness.
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That's 1,250 days if you have the luxury of honing your skill for 8 hours a day.
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That means it will take you approximately 3.42 years to become an expert in your field.
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Realistically though, if you devoted 20 hours of work a week, it would take you ten years to accomplish the 10,000-Hour Rule.
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What do you think… could you do it? More importantly, would you do it? ?
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Let’s look at someone who did and achieved extraordinary success as a result.
Simone Biles Rocks It As A Gymnast, Champion, And Role Model
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Simone Biles is a naturally gifted gymnast and arguably the greatest gymnast of all time. She is a shining example of a true champion and what high-level success looks like.
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Achievements of any kind take a lot of hard work, focus, discipline, and determination. And yes, there will be some hurdles, disappointments, and setbacks, too.
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Simone was only six years old when she tried gymnastics for the first time. Eight years later, she was already placing third all-around at the American Classic in Houston, Texas.
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She trained about 35 hours a week for many years, and she’s had to make a lot of sacrifices. Face adversity. And suffer through some things to reach her goals and become the GOAT gymnast that she is.
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Sacrifices like being home-schooled instead of going to a public school and giving up all the school dances. That’s right. She’s never been to a prom before. But Simone said that she has no regrets because she fell in love with gymnastics.
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Simone's undying love and passion for the sport is truly amazing. On July 5, she tweeted, “sorry I’ve been a little MIA since the announcement ?? I’m overwhelmed with all of your messages, support & love! excited to get back out on the competition floor! XOXO"
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At age 26, the seven-time Olympic medalist is returning to gymnastics after a two-year break. You go, girl!
The Debate About “Innate Talent” Versus “Deliberate Practice” Continues
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A research article published in Psychological Science in 2014 tells a different story about deliberate practice. The authors analyzed the results of nearly 90 other studies that covered all major domains from sports to the arts to academia in which deliberate practice had been investigated.
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The authors found that deliberate practice accounts for no more than 26 percent of the difference between elite performers and average ones. More specifically, 26% of the variance in performance for games, 21% for music, 18% for sports, 4% for education, and less than 1% for professions. They concluded that while deliberate practice is important, it’s not nearly as important as once thought.
What Qualities Does a Champion Have?
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By and large, highly successful people reap the benefits of these character traits:
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The journey to becoming a champion is hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it and you wouldn’t know the difference between an ordinary person and an extraordinary one.
People who achieve top results are called “extraordinary” because they are willing to put in the extra time, effort, and energy to achieve their big dreams and goals.
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Jeff Olson, author of The Slight Edge, said it best…
“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.”
Those who are willing to do the work others aren’t willing to do will get the things others will never have.?
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I’m curious to know your thoughts about the ongoing debate about “innate talent” versus “deliberate practice.”
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I’d also love to know what you’re willing to put in the extra time, effort, and energy for in order to become extraordinary.
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For me, it’s being a results-driven #contentwriter, #webwriter, and #copywriter who is committed to excellence at everything.
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If your web content, email marketing campaigns, and sales copy aren't bringing you the sales and success you want, then let’s talk so I can help you become extraordinary at what you do.