John Doe
Clemson University
Clemson Connect
September 25, 2009
Greatness=Drive
The article “What it takes to be great,” by Geoffrey Colvin is very well written. Geoffrey Colvin makes valid points to support his opinion on what it takes to be great. I agree with Colvin’s idea that to be great at something it requires hard work. He expands on this by saying it takes “deliberate practice.” What Colvin meant by “deliberate practice,” was that is performing not just to get something done, but to be efficient and push oneself to accomplish more. An example could be playing basketball. If a person shoots one hundred foul shots a day does not mean he or she is deliberately practicing. The best way to get better would be to make sure you made at least 85 out of 100 foul shots per day. Deliberate practicing is pushing you to that next step. After reading this article agree with want Geoffrey Colvin states to become great at a certain activity. I have learned throughout life from my parents and personal experiences, hard work is the only true way to become good at something. No one is born with the wit for chess or the ultimate basketball skills. Everyone who was ever great worked themselves day in and day out. In the article Colvin mentioned that some people are gifted, which gets them an advantage, but that person still has to work as hard as the others to become great. Using professional athletes is a perfect example. Lebron James is arguably going to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Granted he has advantages, 6’8” 270 pounds, and an irregular frame for someone who moves and shoots as he does. Lebron still had to work as hard as he could to get to where he is now. Another example is Kobe Bryant; he was been in the NBA for 14 years and one of the best. He has worked hard, studies the game better than anyone, ultimately becoming one of the best closers ever to play in the NBA. This article laid out numerous points that can help out people dealing with any kind motivation problem. As a transfer student, I find this article to be very informational and will help me ultimately succeed at Clemson. As a transfer student the level of classes will most likely not be as challenging as at a Junior College. I can recall from my own experience, this first month and a half at Clemson has been twice as much work as the place I attended last year. Talking with other transfer students, Clemson has been different then the institutions they attended in the past. Colvin has given me some examples that will help me as well as transfer students. At first I was frustrated with all that was going on. I have not seemed to have as much time as last year to go out and have fun. This year I have been studying twice as much to keep up with everything and I feel it is good for me. This article has shown me that anything worth achieving takes hard work. A person cannot just go through life and do nothing and expect greatness from it. As a transfer student I have discovered how important it is to do well in every aspect of life, not just school work. Working hard can lead to something great, but you may not even know what it is until it hits you right in the face. Another main point I can apply to myself as a transfer student is to never give up. I know times will be tough as a college student. It will be the same in the real world. Colvin uses a great example in the article, Michael Jordan. Everyone knows that Michael Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Many people do not realize that it did not just happen magically for Michael. Jordan was cut from the varsity basketball team when in high school. Michael could have made excuses and never played basketball again. Instead he worked hard and the rest is history. I feel this concept is important in every aspect of life. The final thing I took from this chapter was how to deal with life. Life is never completely fair, especially as a college student. Complaining is just going to make a situation worse. I feel it is better to deal with it as it is and move on. Use it as a learning experience. Life will throw obstacles at you will not understand. It is important to work hard and do something great with your life.