Game Day....!!

Practice makes a difference.

I've learned that whether we are talking about success in business, sports, tennis, music or any area of expertise, practice and preparation means everything.

However, in the era of instant gratification and entertainment television, it’s easy to lose sight of what true success requires. After all what most of us see is a successful person performing their craft. We see the concert, the movie, the computer program, the presentation, the play, the miracle surgery, the Olympic event. We see the end result. We see "Game Day." But we don't see the countless hours of sweat and toil and dedication and practice that are the mark of greatness.

Tiger Woods practiced thousands of puts before hitting the one to win the US Open. Rafael Nadal hit thousands of backhands before winning Wimbledon. Josh Groban sang for thousands of hours before reaching stardom. iPod designers spent thousands of hours to create a revolutionary product. The Symphony practiced thousands of hours to create music that brought the audience to tears. The sales team spent numerous hours preparing for the important meeting that landed their biggest client.

I believe that 10 percent of our life is made up of significant Game Day moments and 90 percent is made up of the time we are preparing, practicing and waiting for those moments. How we practice and prepare with 90 percent of our time determines how we perform on Game Day and how we do on Game Day determines the level of our success.

Just as the Olympian must train for years for one defining race we must wake up each day and practice, prepare and train to be the best we can be so that on Game Day we'll be ready. Let us not settle for mediocrity but strive each day for excellence. It requires hard work, preparation and hours of effort but it’s worth it.

How are you preparing for Game Day?