Win the Day Ch 6

The Mundanity of Excellence

• Excellence is achieved through consistent, diligent effort, not innate talent.
• David Blaine's world-record breath-holding feat demonstrates the importance of practice and training over perceived magic. Blaine's approach from average to record-breaking involved rigorous daily breath-holding practice over many months and physical adjustments, notably shedding 50 lbs.
• The "cult of genius" mythologizes extraordinary achievement as a result of inherent talent, obscuring the essential role of consistent work, effort, and practice.
• Daniel Chambliss's study on Olympic swimmers showed that "talent" doesn't automatically equate to excellence. Emphasis on hard work, discipline and training is key.
• Michael Phelps's success highlights the importance of consistent training and effort, and underscores how consistent effort is a key differentiator, even with physical advantages.
• Horst Schulze's rise in hospitality, starting from humble beginnings like cleaning ashtrays and washing dishes, illustrates how mundane tasks can form the foundation of outstanding achievements.
• Consistency is crucial, surpassing intensity, in achieving excellence. Aligning with this idea, Japanese children often performed more math exercises than American children in a testing study.
• "Excellence is mundane" signifies that outstanding accomplishments are built gradually through consistent and correct repetition of smaller, often ordinary, tasks.
• The pursuit of excellence necessitates embracing the mundane, repetitive aspects of training, such as Phil Mickelson's unwavering focus and practice to perfect putting.
• Intrinsic motivation, driven by personal fulfillment, is crucial for maintaining enduring discipline and effort, especially in the face of obstacles.

Perseverance and the Process of Excellence

• Persistence is essential for achieving goals and overcoming initial failures.
• It's important to adjust strategies, adapt and continue trying, as opposed to just persisting with the same approach.
• Individuals must accept that success often follows numerous attempts and failures. Even the most successful people have failed numerous times before succeeding.
• Success is rarely immediate and often requires more effort and time than anticipated.
• The example of Pixar's transition from animation software to film production shows how adapting to new challenges leads to success.

False Positives and Negatives

• Evaluating achievements requires careful consideration.
• False positives occur when something is wrongly judged as successful, while false negatives occur when something is incorrectly judged as a failure.
• Examining Beethoven's self-evaluation of his compositions reveals a significant error rate.

The "Little Engine That Could"

• The principle of dogged determination and persistent effort in overcoming obstacles is key.
• Persistence trumps initial failures, missteps and miscalculations.
• Winning comes from repeated attempts and adjustments.
• It's essential to continue pursuing goals despite setbacks.

Conclusion

• The key to achieving excellence is through continuous, incremental advancements, discipline, and persistent work even when the path appears mundane.
• The journey toward excellence emphasizes consistent hard work, consistent effort, adaptation, and persistence as critical components.