In Search of Excellence

‘I want to give myself the best possible chance’ is a common theme I have observed in interviews of committed and outstanding performers. Those who perform at the highest possible level prepare to the best of their abilities.

We get to enjoy the performances but it is a pity that we don’t get to learn about the hard work and the dedication behind them. High performers do everything in their capacity to be at the best of their abilities when the show starts. That involves hard work and sacrifices.

I recently read Shane Watson’s interview on cricketnext.in.com. The full interview is at:

http://cricketnext.in.com/news/watson-credits-booze-ban-for-consistency/35056-13.html

He was one of the top performers in the recently concluded India-Australia cricket series. He was also a star performer in the IPL (Indian Professional League). The early part of his career was hampered by injuries and because of that he was not a permanent member of the Australian team despite being extremely talented. He is now relatively injury-free but his focus has improved as well. In the interview he attributed his performance to saying ‘no’ to alcohol, even during celebration parties.

Here are some quotes from his interview:

“I’m off drinking while playing and training so I’m giving myself every chance I possibly can to be right throughout this big workload especially,” Watson said.

“It’s been since I injured my hamstring in South Africa during the Tweny20 (last September). So the only time I had a drink was after the IPL to celebrate, just a couple of glasses of champagne. But, after that, once I get back into training and playing, I’ve got to give myself the best possible chance to get through games,”

“I definitely celebrate. I’ve made sure it doesn’t take away from celebrations. I’m not isolating myself from the group because I’ve not sat down and just said ‘I’m not going to drink’; I want to make sure I’m still involved and be celebrating and have fun which I always do,” he said.

The all-rounder added: “It just saves me. I know when I wake up in the morning, a few blokes are feeling a bit dusty and I’m fresh as a daisy, a bit tired but fresh.”

Here are some quotes from other famous stars on this subject:

Sachin Tendulkar

‘It doesn’t always happen according to the way you have planned things out but I feel if you have covered most of the aspects, it does help out there in the middle. ‘

‘At least with me, the match starts much, much earlier than the actual match. ‘

Tiger Woods

“People thought it was asinine for me to change my swing after I won the Masters by 12 shots. … Why would you want to change that? Well, I thought I could become better. If I play my best, I’m pretty tough to beat. I’d like to play my best more frequently, and that’s the whole idea. That’s why you make changes. I thought I could become more consistent.”

Excerpt from ’How I play Golf’ by Tiger Woods

Winning is about Preparation

Have you seen how Tiger Woods will back away after he putt the ball, and seemingly prepares himself for a victory pump even before the ball reach the hole. How did he know that a shot is going in before it goes in?

In the book, Tiger Woods talked about the importance of preparation.

Tiger learned from his dad the importance of preparation for the game. Before a tournament, he would spend hours analyzing the different holes, visualizing the different scenarios that could happen after each shot. His talent merely brings him in line with the top golfers in the world. Its his preparation that sets him apart from the rest of the field.

How Much Importance Do You Place On Preparation

Preparation is boring. You do not do any actual stuff. You merely spend hours analyzing videos, brainstorming on different possible scenarios that might occur, and visualizing them. Many of the scenarios will never occur, and you might find it a waste of time.

Indeed, many people prefer to jump straight into a game without preparing for it. Yet it has been proven time and again that the best athletes are the ones that spend an enormous amount of time on preparation.

Tiger Woods is one of them.

Michael Jordan

Phil Jackson once said this about his protégé, “You cannot find anyone that competes as hard in training as in competition”

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same idol?” “No,” said the sculptor without looking up, “We need   only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.” The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage?” he asked. “There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said the sculptor, still busy with his work.  ”Where are you   going to install the idol?” The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. “If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, “I will know it.”

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. “Excellence” is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and excellence.