Practice after practice, day after day, season after season, the Spurs pound the rock. They get 1% better every day. They know that the first one hundred blows may not yield the outcome they hope for, but only through one hundred unsuccessful blows will come the one that cracks the rock, the one breakthrough victory, the next world title.

We live in a world where some people believe that high-level athletic performance is easy and that people are born with talent and greatness. They want immediate mastery. They want all the accolades without most of the sweat. They want to hit the rock on the first blow and have it break. The world is full of people looking for a shortcut to the top. There are none. Are you willing to pound the rock?