Before You Play, Study the Winners

I read a quote today that caught my attention:

Before you play the game, study the winners. If you don’t want their life, don’t play their game.

I totally agree. Winning at competitive games that have power law outcomes isn’t a walk in the park. It requires an immense amount of consistent work that others don’t see. People competing at these levels often build their lives around their work habits, but nobody sees that. They see only the win at the end.

Everybody wants to be Kobe Bryant and win five championship rings, but nobody wants to get to the gym every day at 5 a.m. for private practice before the team practice later that morning.

I’m a fan of studying the greats of a game before you try to play. You’ll get an idea of what it takes to win.