As an athlete and sports fan I leaned heavily on studying what great athletes did differently than everyone else. Athletes like Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Tyson, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Johnson, and Jerry Rice became my idols of what is possible if you work hard enough. I was motivated to become the best possible athlete I could and to one day achieve the greatness that these iconic athletes did. More than thirty years later, I am still searching for a deeper and better understanding of what makes the greats great. It's a passion and a search that I don't think will ever end.

I have discovered similarities among all the greats I listed above, but I have also found similarities between the athletes I loved and coaches, leaders, musicians, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Greatness in sports isn't any different from greatness in anything we pursue. The level of commitment to your craft, attention to detail, ability to ignore the critics, and an uncommon level of grit typically shows up in all of these people. It's not that they were born different; they just worked differently. Given the tools all these men utilized, everyone can become great.

My hope is that by reading this book you will see that the journey to excellence isn't smooth or easy. The true testament to the excellence of the people referenced in this book is the work they choose to put in—the daily work over years of their lives that eventually allowed them to achieve success. The other thing to remember as you chase your dreams and goals is that there are a lot of things that go into your future success. Don't expect to achieve all your goals tomorrow. Greatness is a war of attrition, and you must stay true to your process through all of the adversity that shows up along the way. Never give up