I heard a couple of sports commentators discussing a basketball player.  He had no special talent for anything, they agreed.  He wasn’t what you’d call “good” at the basics, but he had a lot of energy and hustle. They praised him for how hard he worked.  His numbers from the night before backed that up.

On the one hand, that affirms a negative thought that if you’re not good enough, you have to work harder than everyone else.

Then again, it says Intention matters.  It’s more about passion than talent.  You don’t have to be good enough to do well.  Excellence is more a matter of drive.

What makes a “good” basketball player, anyway?  Certainly, there are many things that go into that – ball handling, ability to shoot and make baskets, height . . . But every really good player has loads of energy and is willing to do what it takes to get the ball.  There is always hustle and passion inside a good player.

So it’s not so much about talent, though that can help.  But if you have enough love for what you’re doing, and a strong tributary flowing through you of willingness to put everything out there, you can be a very good basketball player . . . or anything else!