One of my favourite articles is The Effort Effect. It is 15 years old now. It discusses how talent is not the thing that makes people great. It helps, but if it was the only thing that made the difference, why would you even try when you are not talented?
Put in the work
I can’t make you the smartest or the brightest, but it’s doable to be the most knowledgeable. It’s possible to gather more information than somebody else.
Bill Gurley
One thing in your control is how much effort you put into improving yourself. You can train more. You can learn more than others. It doesn’t mean you will be better or brighter than others. But if you put the most time in there, there is a high likelihood you will be ahead of many people.
It is not a one-time effort
‘Winning takes talent, to repeat it takes character.’
John Wooden
Not everybody will sit still when they reach a certain level, nor should you. Becoming good is something everybody can do. Not everybody wants to put in the effort to stay at that level or even slightly improve over time.
Therefore working harder is not a one-time heavy lift. It is more like a slow burn you can sustain over time. Working harder is not about getting ahead or staying ahead. It is about being out front and, in the end, outlasting most of them.