“Most of the time, it isn’t about having a gift. It is about having grit.” | Roger Federer’s commencement address at Dartmouth College
I watched Federer’s warm and humorous commencement address and noticed he made the point about overcoming fierce competition and hard moments multiple times. He started by sharing that his effortless style is a myth. It took a lot of effort to make it look effortless.
He also didn’t read off a printed piece of paper – I’m sure no effort was spared to make it look effortless.
He then went onto make a beautiful point about playing points. Federer won 80% of his matches but only 54% of his points.
“When you’re playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you.”
“This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point… and the next one after that… with intensity, clarity and focus. The truth is, whatever game you play in life… sometimes you’re going to lose. A point, a match, a season, a job… it’s a roller coaster, with many ups and downs. And it’s natural, when you’re down, to doubt yourself. To feel sorry for yourself. And by the way, your opponents have self-doubt, too. Don’t ever forget that.
But negative energy is wasted energy. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That to me is the sign of a champion.”
Develop your grit. Focus on the point. And if you do both and put in enough effort, you might just make it all look effortless.
Thanks Roger.
