I have a theory that pretty much anybody can be 85% good at something.
This may be easiest to explain in an example.
Let’s accept that Slash from legendary rock band Guns ‘N Roses is a good guitar player. He’s not a virtuoso by any means but we can all admit that he’s written some pretty gnarly riffs and his playing is always very solid.
Now, it won’t be without a lot of work and practice, but I believe that anyone can be 85% as good as Slash at guitar.
That woman with the really strong deadlift you see crushing it in the corner of the gym, you can - again, with work and practice - get to 85% of what she lifts.
You don’t have to be special. You don’t even have to dedicate your life to it. Practice guitar for 45 minutes per day or deadlift once per week and that 85% status can be yours.
The great thing is that most people would be remarkably content at 85%. I mean we’ve all fallen for the childhood dreams and motivational quotes telling us that we should aim to be number one, but I don’t think most people really feel that way. Rather they want to feel strong and confident when they deadlift. They want to fit in in a jam session and have the other players think they’re good. Most people aren’t looking to make the Olympics or play a sold out Wembley stadium.
Now, if that doesn’t describe you and you want to conquer the world when it comes to your musicianship or strength or athleticism or business success or whatever, I have some tough news for you. Because while I think that anyone can get to 85% of good, every percentage point above that is exponentially harder.
Obtaining the strength and power and skill of an Olympic athlete, playing a two hour concert without missing a note, attaining the wealth and business success of a Warren Buffet or Jeff Bezos, these are all Herculean tasks that require nearly 24 hour diligence, a large and savvy support system, a relentless drive and, quite honestly, a whole bunch of luck.
And if that is what you are after, God bless. I support you 100% and look forward to witnessing your climb to the top. But this particular blog isn’t for you. You are going to need more help than I can give you in 800 words or less.
Getting back to those of you who, like me, are striving to get to 85% of good, I do think I can help you.
(QUICK NOTE: I don’t want to minimize what I mean when I say “good”. When I say good I mean GOOD. Good is not “meh” in my examples. Everyone is pretty much 85% of meh already.)
OK, in the words of Snoop Dogg, back to the lecture at hand. What do you need to do to get into the 85% Club?
The number one, far-and-away, most important thing is that you have to be consistent in your pursuit. You don’t need to practice 5 hours per day or set up 9 training sessions per week. That is for the elite. But what you will need to do is set up a 45 minute-per-day focused practice or a 3-4 time per week workout routine and - this is the important part - pretty much never miss.
The biggest issue I see is that so many people who get started believe that doing it 80% of the time is good enough. They take six weeks off in the Summer. They want to slide out of their nutrition plans on the weekends. They feel the need to take a break from practice.
I realize that staying consistent can be challenging both mentally and logistically. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the constant demand of doing something. We all have families and friends and work and plans that are important to us and there are only so many hours in the day. However, when you start missing days and weeks at a time you end up in a constant cycle of spending your time regaining what you’ve lost by taking time off and never really moving forward. You certainly can (and should!) have periods where your intensity and level of effort may change. But do your best to not ever fully stop. It’s really the difference maker.
Secondly, your training or practice must stay focused.
I used to “practice” guitar while watching television. I figured that muscle memory would just kick in and somehow I’d magically get better at playing simply by having the instrument in my hands. And while playing this way was certainly better than not playing, my practice did not have enough structure, focus and intention for me to actually improve.
This is a very common problem. Walk into most gyms and you will see people distracting themselves on their phones between sets or talking to their training partners during a heavy set of five. Approach your practice and training with focus and intent. Try to get the most out of each moment that you are working towards your goal. You aren’t in the coal mines for 10 hours per day trying to distract yourself by singing sea shanties. You are trying to improve at a skill with the 45 to 60 minutes you have to dedicate yourself to it. Act accordingly.
Finally, you need a good plan. If you are consistently and diligently working towards something but you are following the wrong map, you aren’t going to end up where you want to go. This is where things like lessons or coaching can be really valuable. A teacher or coach or mentor who understands the task and has plowed the road before can make sure that your efforts are put in the right place and you are on the path to success. You may have bought a car, gassed her up, packed all the snacks and prepared for a cross country drive to California, but without the right map you could just end up in the Atlantic Ocean or, even worse, Canada.
(Sorry, Canada. You didn’t deserve that.)
When you think about it, 85% is a solid B. And that’s not bad. It’s what Einstein got in his high school physics class and Obama’s GPA at Columbia.
Actually, I just made that up. I have no idea how Albert and Barak did in school. Quite frankly, it can be really hard to come up with snappy endings for these blogs sometimes.
But I think I get it right about 85% of the time.