" 66. The Will To Win Means Nothing Without The Will To Train

I have met a lot of people over the years who professed that they would do whatever it took to win a race or climb a big mountain. But sometimes the will to win just isn’t enough.

In fact, the will to win means nothing if you don’t also have the will to train.

The day of the race is the easy bit: all eyes are on you and the adrenalin is running high. But the race or the battle is really won or lost in the build-up: the unglamorous times when it is raining at 5:30 a.m. and you don’t want to get out of your warm bed to go for a run.

So, don’t fall into the trap of trying hard but lacking the skills or resources that you can only gain through training.

I love the story of Daley Thompson, the decathlete who won gold at two Olympics.

He used to say his favourite day of the year to train was Christmas Day, as he knew it would be the only day his competitors wouldn’t be training. That is commitment, and it is part of why he won - he saw it as a chance to get 1/365th quicker than his rivals!

So, remember that our goals are reached by how we prepare and train in the many months before crunch time. Train right, and the summit or gold medal will be the inevitable culmination of your commitment.

I like that, because it means the rewards go to the dogged rather than the brilliant. "

― Bear Grylls , A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character