Self-discipline activities, such as swimming, are often seen as peaceful and therapeutic by those who engage in them, despite being perceived as boring by others. Top athletes do not always see their rigorous training as sacrificial; rather, they genuinely enjoy it. The idea that self-improvement activities must be unpleasant is a misconception. In fact, if it feels hard and unpleasant, one may be approaching it wrong. The perception of hard work and self-discipline can be misleading from the outside. Engaging in self-discipline becomes easier and more enjoyable when done in a community of like-minded individuals, fostering a sense of bonding and making the process feel much easier. Despite the individual nature of some sports, such as swimming, Olympic-class athletes typically train as part of a team with many others who share similar goals. Having a workout buddy can significantly ease the process of exercising and self-discipline.
Forty years ago, now retired professor of sociology Daniel Chambliss performed a field study in which he observed an elite swim team to figure out what it was that led to excellence in any endeavor.
As Chambliss shared in a paper entitled “The Mundanity of Excellence,” the secret he discovered is that there really is no secret, and that success is more ordinary than mystical.
As mundane as the factors and qualities that lead to excellence really are, they can still run contrary to what we sometimes think makes for high achievement. Today on the show, I unpack the sometimes unexpected elements of excellence with Daniel. We discuss how desire is more important than discipline, the central role of one’s social group and surrounding yourself with the best of the best, the outsized importance of the small things, why you need to make being good your job, why motivation is mundane, and why you need to keep a sense of mundanity even as you become excellent.
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