The intangible elements of elite performance

It’s easy to watch someone who is highly skilled at what they do and be amazed at how well they do it. We use words like “talented,” “gifted,” or “elite” to describe them, and we typically think of their ability as something that comes naturally because they make it look easy.

And while it’s true that talent and ability are key factors when it comes to being highly skilled at something, we tend to forget the intangible elements — drive, determination, effort, grit, perseverance (to name a few) — that separate the great from the elite.

We all possess these intangible elements, and we all possess the ability to improve them, which means we are all capable of performing at an elite level. The difference is some of us understand the importance of these intangible elements and work on them daily, and some of us don’t.

We can strengthen our drive, our determination, our effort, our grit, and our perseverance. And in doing so, we will start performing at a higher level. Or, we can look at others and chalk it up to a natural ability that we don’t have. The choice is ours.

Imagine yourself performing at an elite level. How were you able to strengthen your intangible elements in order to reach this level? What skills did you leverage? What does performing at an elite level give you in your life? Who do you become? And who else benefits?