Greatness Is A Behavior Not A Finish Line

Commitment and the art of practicing greatness

rPhoto by alexander milo on Unsplash

It was my first serious tournament. I was about to face the best tennis players in my region. I hadn’t played a match yet, but I had visions of stardom, television interviews and overflowing trophy rooms.

I was an avid tennis player in my youth. I started playing as soon as I could pick up a racket. By the time I was fourteen years old, I had beaten everyone in the surrounding area. Nobody could touch me.

Eager to support my passion, my parents signed me up to compete in regional tournaments. I don’t recall the score of my first match, and perhaps that’s a good thing because my opponent trounced me. It was a humbling experience.

The Epiphany

I overestimated my skills. It wasn’t arrogance or parental deception. I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know. I lacked a meaningful comparison to make a realistic assessment of my skills.

I had that epiphany you experience when you step out into the arena or compete against stiff competition for the first time.

I’m not as good as I thought I was

You know the feeling. It’s a universal experience; fiction writers use it as a common trope.