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I agree 100%. This is going to sound weird, but bear with me. I grew up as a skateboarder and am still super into the scene. What separates the pros from the

I agree 100%. This is going to sound weird, but bear with me. I grew up as a skateboarder and am still super into the scene. What separates the pros from the wannabes isn't just talent. It's dealing with adversity, discomfort, and inconvenience. These pros are skating in places that are not comfortable to skate. The ground is very rough and/or has inconveniently placed cracks. There's a puddle in the way. The ground is dirty with tiny pebbles. They also fall A LOT. By the time they make this crazy trick, they're bleeding from a couple of places and half their board has gotten wet with yucky water. The kind of things that mean "end of the session" for 90% of skaters. The skaters that can deal with these inconveniences/discomfort are the ones that "make it." Sometimes young skaters to go to famous spots and they are blown away by how rough the ground is, or how close traffic is zipping by at 40 MPH. THAT's what separates the men from the boys. Grit.

Timpy 7y ago
My first taste of grit was on a skateboard too. I would daydream about landing cool new tricks far outside my skill level. I was young, I didn't really know how to acquire new skills, I just repeatedly made the decision to try again every time got it wrong. Eventually I looked back and realized I had surpassed those old daydreams. I consider myself really lucky to stumble across this at such a young age, the discovery that discipline pays off. I used it when I learned to play music and taught myself programming. The only tasks that excite me in my current phase of life are long term grit-required projects, like language learning, distance running, etc.
MrMember 7y ago
I really enjoyed Rodney Mullen's autobiography. He talked about how when he was a kid he would get home from school and skateboard for six hours. Every single day. Trying new things, inventing tricks that nobody else could do. And then he'd go to competitions and completely dominate because he was doing things nobody had ever seen before. That's the dedication it takes to be a pro.
hinkley 7y ago
Phil Liggett, The Voice of the Tour de France for decades and decades, is fond of complementing cyclists by saying they "know how to suffer." It is, as near as I can tell, his highest complement to say that you really know how to suffer.

Timpy 7y ago

My first taste of grit was on a skateboard too. I would daydream about landing cool new tricks far outside my skill level. I was young, I didn't really know how to acquire new skills, I just repeatedly made the decision to try again every time got it wrong. Eventually I looked back and realized I had surpassed those old daydreams. I consider myself really lucky to stumble across this at such a young age, the discovery that discipline pays off. I used it when I learned to play music and taught myself programming. The only tasks that excite me in my current phase of life are long term grit-required projects, like language learning, distance running, etc.

MrMember 7y ago

I really enjoyed Rodney Mullen's autobiography. He talked about how when he was a kid he would get home from school and skateboard for six hours. Every single day. Trying new things, inventing tricks that nobody else could do. And then he'd go to competitions and completely dominate because he was doing things nobody had ever seen before. That's the dedication it takes to be a pro.

hinkley 7y ago

Phil Liggett, The Voice of the Tour de France for decades and decades, is fond of complementing cyclists by saying they "know how to suffer." It is, as near as I can tell, his highest complement to say that you really know how to suffer.