“I wasn’t born to be a champion – I fought to be a champion.” -Becky Lynch
It is a paradox that those with the greatest natural talents may succeed and even dominate early, but rarely become the elite and iconic. It is those with good talent but the greatest work ethic and resiliency that become the icons, because they fight early and keep fighting to improve even after they are among the best.
Greg Maddux and Mariano “Mo” Rivera continued to tinker and improve well after they punched their tickets to Cooperstown. From using a cardboard milk container as a glove to making it out of the minor leagues to being the only unanimous selection to baseball’s Hall of Fame, Mo fought for his chance to play and ultimately be a champion.
Angela Duckworth was told by her father that she was “no genius.” She fought to get her PhD and literally wrote the book on Grit, and was awarded a McArthur Grant, also known as a “Genius Grant”. Her TED Talk on grit is one of the most viewed in history for good reason.
Young Johnny was asthmatic and took up swimming to help his lungs develop because he literally had to fight for breath. One Olympic bronze and five gold medals later Johann Weismuller was on the silver screen as Tarzan. He became a champion in more than the pool.
Fight.
Fight for your right to compete and then fight even harder to become a champion.