“To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.” A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Running a marathon takes sacrifice. In addition to the hours and hours of running longer and longer distances, there is the recovery time, the added caloric needs and body maintenance. There is a cost in terms of money and time and relationships, as surface level distractions are traded for more important interactions and deeper, more meaningful choices. And in the end, the removal of the extraneous is worth it.
Anyone that has built a highly successful business has had to develop tunnel vision, to ignore the shiny flashy objects or trends that pull our attention and other resources from the goal. The grinding while others are partying. Stay on target.
Ignoring the unimportant is a critical skill for success and greatness in any endeavor.