I was watching an interview of Ricky Carmichael who is a motocross racing star. I don’t follow motocross, so I had no clue who he was.

But, his story was compelling. He described his progress in the sport.

I ran across the interview flipping the channels. He was describing how he “hated” practice, but he did it anyway. As an 11-year-old.

He learned that his talent wasn’t as great as others, so he had to make it up with hard work. He talked about how his coach drilled him on specific turns and techniques. He described how he was held accountable for learning and refining his skill. In the end, practicing while hating it became a distinguishing characteristic. He won by working where others would quit.

He rode through the amateur ranking and became a pro in his late teens. He experienced moderate success.

Two things helped him to become the best in the business.

First, he admired the stars in motocross as he entered the pro ranks. But, they kept beating him. He said the turning point became when his motivation changed from wanting to “be like them”  to wanting to “beat” them.

Wanting to win inspired a new level of commitment to his sport. He said when the goal became beating the rest rather than being like the rest, his strategies and goals became more aggressive.

He realized the difference between him and the best was his strength and endurance. He hired trainers. He changed his diet. He developed the strength and endurance to be elite. He remained at the top of his game until he retired.

Hard work, aggressive goals, and thoughtful strategy fueled his success. It made a champion.

Do you keep working when it’s hard?

Do you have aggressive goals?

Are you applying strategy to your efforts?

I saw this interview on a cable channel called Audience on Direct TV. Worth a look if you find it.