Page 129 - The Power to Change Anything

118 INFLUENCER

short-term gratification and on their long-term goal of earning
that second marshmallow.
So maybe Henry can learn how to delay gratification—if
he learns tactics that will help him do so. But will that be
enough to transform him into the physically fit person he’d like
to become? After all, he’s not good at jogging or weight lifting
either. In fact, he’s horrible at all things athletic. Surely factors
as hardwired as body type, lung capacity, and musculature are
predictors of good athletic performance. Henry has no hope of
ever becoming one of those chiseled hunks you see hanging
out at health clubs. Or does he?

MUCH OF PROWESS IS PRACTICE

Psychologist Anders Ericsson offers an interesting interpre-
tation of how those at the top of their game get there. He
doesn’t believe for a second that elite-level performance stems
from zodiacal forces or, for that matter, from enhanced men-
tal or physical properties. After devoting his academic life to
learning why some individuals are better at certain tasks than
others, Ericsson has been able to systematically demonstrate
that people who climb to the top of just about any field eclipse
their peers through something as basic as deliberate practice.
We’ve all heard the old saw that practice doesn’t make per-
fect, perfect practice makes perfect. Ericsson has spent his life
proving this to be true. While most people believe that they are
born with inherent limits to their athletic ability, Ericsson argues
that there is little evidence that people who achieve exceptional
performance ever get there through any means other than care-
fully guided practice—perfect practice. His research demon-
strates that prowess, excellence, elite status—call it what you
like—is not a matter of genetic gifts; it’s a matter of knowing how
to enhance your skills through deliberate practice.
For instance, Ericsson describes how dedicated figure
skaters practice differently on the ice: Olympic hopefuls work