By whom are you most inspired, and why?
Three people who inspire me by how normal they are.
This is part 1 of 4 of a series called, “You Can.”
Roger Bannister (the first to run a sub 4 minute mile) inspires me:
It is strange that the intrinsically simple and unimportant act of placing one foot after another for 1,760 yards, as fast as possible, should become such an important sporting achievement.
I think the appeal lies in its simplicity -- it needs no money, no equipment, no particular physique, no knowledge, no education -- and in a world of increasingly complex technology, it stands out as a naive statement about the nature of man. A man can, with his own two feet, overcome severe difficulties to reach a pinnacle upon which he can declare, 'No one has done this before.'
Steve Jobs inspires me:
Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact:
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
Jerry Rice inspires me:
The classic test for speed in the NFL is the 40-yard dash. Before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, Rice was reported as running the 40 in 4.7 seconds. For reference, in 2014 there were multiple quarterbacks and even a defensive lineman that posted faster times than that. And yet, it is unlikely that any of these players will have a career half as prolific as that of Jerry Rice.
Compared to other wide receivers, Rice’s mediocre speed could be seen as a weakness. How did he overcome it?
By leveraging his greatest strengths.
He designed his practice to work on his specific needs. Rice didn’t need to do everything well, just certain things. He had to run precise patterns; he had to evade the defenders, sometimes two or three, who were assigned to cover him; he had to outjump them to catch the ball and outmuscle them when they tried to strip it away; then he had to outrun tacklers. So he focused his practice work on exactly these requirements.
Not being the fastest receiver in the league turned out not to matter. He became famous for the precision of his patterns. His weight training gave him tremendous strength. His trail running gave him control so he could change directions suddenly without signaling his move. The uphill wind sprints gave him explosive acceleration. Most of all, his endurance training — not something that a speed-focused athlete would normally concentrate on — gave him a giant advantage in the fourth quarter, when his opponents were tired and weak, and he seemed as fresh as he was in the first minute. Time and again, that’s when he put the game away.
Rice and his coaches understood exactly what he needed in order to be dominant. They focused on these things and not on other goals that might have seemed generally desirable, like speed.
excerpt from Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
(Source: James Clear's Masters of Habit: The Deliberate Practice and Training of Jerry Rice)
I don't believe I'm exceptionally and naturally talented, uniquely gifted, or extremely privileged.
I put on my pants one leg at a time, I forget my wallet sometimes, I still make mistakes, and sometimes let my emotions get the best of me.
I consider these qualifications to be like Roger, Steve, and Jerry. They are proof that normal people -- with flaws, weaknesses, struggles, barriers, challenge, ups and downs, wins and losses -- can do great things.
See, people often put them on pedestals because of their achievements, but all that does is make them seem godlike, superhuman, or infallible -- I can't live up to that, that makes them unreachable.
But if Roger, Steve, and Jerry are just "regular Joe's" that aspired to pursue things no one has done before, dared to create part of the world we live in, and compensated for weaknesses by diligently perfecting strengths, then I can too.
If I commit to my passions.
If I commit to constant improvement.
If I commit to being comfortable with obscurity as I hone my craft.
I'll prepared for anything if I'm thrusted into the spotlight.
I'll eventually find myself rising to the top.
I'll thrive/enjoy every moment of it.
Roger, Steve, and Jerry help me believe that greatness is not about the cosmic tumblers aligning, but a product of intentionality, dedication, focused effort, and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
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