By T. Harv. Eker
Have you ever heard that old quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”?
This was said by ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and is a quote I always keep in mind. It’s a simple premise, but one that resonates with me to the core.
I recently stumbled across an email I wanted to share with you, which had a similar idea — although this time it was referencing basketball!
But the truth is, both Gretzky’s quote and what I’m about to tell you can — and absolutely should — be applied to your financial success.
The Email That Could Change Your Life
The premise of the email was this:
The author researched the top 10 starters for the Eastern and Western All-Star basketball teams to find out how much money they made this year — which came to a whopping $224 million. Not bad for 10 players.
But the interesting thing was what he discovered about their average field goal percentage. By the way, if you’re not into basketball, this is the number of shots taken that fall into the basket, versus those that don’t make it in. Basically, how often the player is making the shot.
So now you’ve got these 10 guys making tens of millions of dollars a year each, and you’re probably thinking that their percentages are somewhere near 100%, right? Or surely around 90% or 80% at the very least?
Nope — almost the opposite.
The author found that these 10 All-Star players were an average of 48.8% from the field.
Isn’t that crazy? That means that these 10 superstar athletes aren’t even making shots half the time. Compared to the 100% success rate the average Joe needs to achieve in his desk job, being an NBA ball player sure sounds like a breeze!
The Truth Behind All Epic Success Stories
But of course, it’s not quite this simple. And when you think about it, pretty quickly you can see why.
These high-level athletes — just as any CEO, entrepreneur or successful individual — spend their whole lives training to be the best. Not so they can have a perfect score percentage, but so they have the skills and experience to even get to play on that court.
See, although these athletes make their jobs look easy, it’s anything but. They’ve put in copious amounts of blood, sweat and tears behind the scenes to get to that point.
The years of training and commitment, missing out on parties, staying focused, and constantly honing their skills are why they’re at the level they’re at today — and this drive is priceless.
It’s the amount of time they spent improving themselves before the big game which commands their huge paychecks.
Now, ask yourself: what are you doing to improve yourself outside of your job?
Beyond the basic requirements you need to meet to get your paycheck… how are you going above and beyond?
What Does This Mean For You?
The truth is, success isn’t a one-hit wonder; it’s a slow burn.
Seemingly “overnight successes” are generally people who have been grinding for years before they made it big — even if it seems like it came easy.
So much of the success in the moment comes down to the hours, weeks, months, and years of dedication that have been put in before the first big paycheck.
On top of this, achieving the success you’re capable of relies on a thirst for growth, and the motivation to constantly better yourself.
And the rest is gravy!
As these big shot ball players show you, you don’t have to be perfect to get to where you want to be. In fact, you don’t even need to get half of the shots you take in.
But you do need to take a shot — and be ready for when your moment comes.
Your Next Steps
As I mentioned earlier, the success you’re capable of relies on a thirst for growth, and the motivation to constantly better yourself.
This boils down to two important steps:
1. Don't QUIT!
You WILL reach any dream you strive for as long as you focus on it and don’t quit.
How badly do you want to achieve your dream? A simple wish won’t cut it. You need to have a big enough goal that will motivate you to keep going, even during times when all you feel like doing is give up!
2. You Must Be Constantly Learning And Growing
The best kind of learning comes from real life experience. I hope you agree.
And when it comes to success, it’s no different: Experience is the best teacher.
The problem for most people is that their experience is full of struggle, frustration, dealing with one step forward and two steps back, and so on.
So you can either learn from your own experience and pray you’ll figure it out….
OR you can learn from someone who has been where you’re at and has found a formula to make millions and millions and millions of dollars.
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