Do you think superstars are destined to be superstars? Or do you think they themselves decided to be?

Destined . . . Determined . . . . Devoted

Misty Copeland and Michael Strahan were determined and that made all the difference in the world. That’s why they’ve been in the news recently.

Copeland, rejected at age 13 as having “the wrong body for ballet,” became an American Ballet Theatre soloist by the time she was 24. She’s now the centerpiece of an ad campaign by sports apparel-maker Under Armour.

And Strahan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even though he arrived in the NFL without the gifts that other players brought.

“He didn’t show up his first day destined for (the Hall of Fame),” New York Post columnist Steve Serby wrote of Strahan. “He made himself into a good player, then a very good player, then a great player.”

As reported by Adweek, Copeland stars in an ad campaign that Under Armour is aiming at women. A voice says in the ad repeats words that were once directed at her.

“You have the wrong body for ballet. And at 13, you are too old to be considered.”

The voice was wrong, and Copeland proves it with a series of breath-taking, athletic moves across the stage.

She wasn’t destined to be a superstar. She was determined to be a superstar.

Here’s the problem with thinking you’re destined. If you think you’re destined for greatness, why do the work? And if you think you’re destined to fail, why bother?

Copeland and Strahan weren’t destined. They were determined and devoted …

Regardless of what others thought or said
Regardless of the facts
Regardless of anything.

How about you? Don’t be destined. Be determined. Be devoted.

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Greatness begins with the way you think, and “Think Better, Win More!: How Sport Psychology Can Make you a Champion” will help.

To improve at anything, check out “The Improvement Factor: How Champions Turn Practice into Success.”

Need some motivation? Open any page of “Thank God You’re Lazy! The Instant Cure for What’s Holding You Back” for a story or a quote to lift your spirits.

Are you a coach? Here’s “Ten Things Great Coaches Know” by Mike Tully and Gary Pritchard.

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