There’s a story in the book Atomic Habits about a weightlifting coach who works with some of the world’s top athletes. When asked what separates the best from the others (ie people like me with obnoxiously long limbs and poor flexibility) he shares that beyond genetics and muscle mass he believes it boils down to ones ability to deal with the boredom of doing the same exercises over and over, session after session, year after year.
Three things I take from this:
- Those who are world class at what they do aren’t always motivated and inspired. They get bored and feel like giving up just like the rest of us and;
- While they might feel like skipping a session, those at the top of their game choose to show up anyway. They realise that the act of showing up is a skill.
- At 6″7′ with 2 dinky hips and poor hamstring flexibility, I’ll never be a world class weightlifter.