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Deliberate Practice

Where Success Begins

Day One of Hurricane Season brings to mind a story about your future.

Once there was a farmer who needed some help with the chores. Many people answered his ad, but he always felt they were more interested in getting paid than in actually doing the work.

Finally a young woman knocked on his door and asked if she could apply.

“What are your qualifications,” the farmer asked.

“Well,” she said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

These words left the farmer puzzled, but he had lots of work to do and little time in which to do it.

“You’re hired,” he said.

Right away the young woman went to work.

Three weeks later, a fierce East Coast storm came in the dark of night. In a panic, the farmer jumped out of bed and began banging on the young woman’s door, trying to wake her up. He heard not a sound. Disgusted, he ran to save his farm, fully ready to fire her in the morning.

But there was nothing to save. The cows, horses, chickens and pigs were all locked safely away. The shutters on the windows had been fastened, and all the gates closed. All the feed and tools were untouched by the fury of the storm.

It was then that the farmer recalled the young woman’s words: “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Instead of firing her, he gave her a raise and begged her to stay.

Are you working as hard as that woman? When a storm comes in your life, your career, your sports season, will you be as composed as the young woman?

Last year, Superstorm Sandy knocked out the power in mt home for one week. You can be sure that we are better prepared this time.

What are you doing today to make sure that all will be safely secured when the winds begin to blow?

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To learn more about success, listen to “How to Survive Your Sports Season.” Or read “The Improvement Factor: How Winners Turn Practice into Success.”

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