Why I wish I got into sports earlier

My developmental years were spent reading books, drawing, writing, singing, and playing the guitar. These are excellent skills to develop, but I realized that having an artsy background has its drawbacks. For instance, there is a huge emphasis on talent - you can do it or you can't. I also grew up thinking that there is no right or wrong way to create things. The point, I thought, was to make them and to share them with other people.

That's not quite right. As I started working I learned that just being able to do something doesn't necessarily equate to success. There are such things as good and bad work, and being better is the result of hard work and dedication to the task at hand. I made so many mistakes - still making some - because of my past thinking.

This is why I wish I got into sports earlier. Playing sports teaches the value of repetition and how it links to excellence. For example, to hit a tennis ball correctly, you'll need to be able to move before you thought about it. You'll need to set yourself in the right form and transfer your weight the right way. Developing that muscle memory only comes with time and practice. There is no shortcut. You CAN do it and more important, you CAN get better - only time and effort stand between you and the goal.

Playing sports, I feel, is a less painful way to learn that lesson versus getting slapped by the real world (so to speak).