Years ago I arm-wrestled this 50 year old fella in a bar.
I figured I'd pop his arm off and take it home with me.
They yelled 3, 2, 1, and off we went. I yanked on his arm as hard as I could and can you guess what happened?
His arm did not move a single inch.
His arm didn't even move a single millimeter.
I was dumbfounded and a stupid look crept upon my face. I asked him, “Do you work out or something?”
He said he never exercised a day in his life, though as a kid he'd worked on a farm.
A few years later I was in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class and I found myself in a similar situation.
I was never great at Jiu-Jitsu but I had strength and tenacity and didn't like to tap. As I had no real talent, I would often get my opponent to submit using nothing but sheer force rather than skill.
My opponents would use the technique they learned, I'd simply wrestle them into a position to get a guillotine and make them tap.
I'd never win any competition like that but I'd at least be able to tap-out people with a similar skill-set as mine. I'd even made people completely quit and go home in the middle of class.
One day I took on a fella a belt or two above me. I figured it would be no problem, I'll force my way to a guillotine and he'll tap.
But that's not what happened.
Anything I tried to do, this fella simply was too strong. I couldn't believe it.
A dumb look crept on my face and I asked him, “Why are you so strong?”
He said he lifted a lot of weights, but I wasn't satisfied with that answer. I lifted a lot of weights and this fella had a different kind of strength.
It wasn't a muscular type of strength as he was not muscular, to me he felt like he had strong bones, tendons, and ligaments, not strong muscles.
Just recently, I was at a shopping mall in Kyrgyzstan looking for a pair of size 37 hiking boots (that's US size 13).
I couldn't find my size anywhere. The whole country seemingly only went up to a size 35.
I was about to leave when I heard someone say, “Do you have any size 37?”
I thought it was a little strange this man was speaking in English and looking for exactly what I was looking for, as this was a Russian speaking country.
It was a 70 year old American fella. We had a little laugh at the situation and we shook hands.
When we did, I was dumbfounded. This fella was about 70 years old but his grip was like iron.
It was the strongest handshake I'd ever felt in my life.
We spoke for a while, he was a Vietnam vet and now he was teaching some class at the local university.
We shook hands goodbye and again I was shocked at how absolutely strong his grip was.
This time I didn't ask a stupid question like “why are you so strong”.
I already knew why he was so strong.
He was born strong.
I'm a strong fella but my strength comes from working out.
I could workout for a thousand years and my grip would never be able to match that old war vet's grip.
I'm not about to cry about it. I simply recognize that some people are born with this gift or with that gift.
Some people are born with superior physical strength, some are born with superior intelligence, some are born with superior tenacity, and some are born with superior beauty.
It is what it is and there's no reason to be upset about it.
But there is a reason to exploit it.
See…
Whatever you were born to do is what you should do.
If you were born with superior strength, you should use that to your advantage.
If you were born with superior intelligence, or beauty, or whatever, you should use that to your advantage.
I see so many people with natural talent wasting it and doing something they are not naturally talented at.
I'll give you an example…
I know a fella who wants to be a powerlifter and works hard at it. He's gained some real good strength and made some great progress.
Unfortunately for him he isn't naturally strong and he never wins powerlifting competitions.
See, a great powerlifter is someone who was born with superior strength. These types are always the strongest in the gym. This is the type of person who excels, and wins, at powerlifting.
The fella I know tries real hard and makes good progress but he will never win.
He will never be the best because he was not born to be a powerlifter.
If you don't do what you were born to do you will not be a success.
It is really as simple as that.
Haven't you heard the best of the best say “I was born to do this”?
I hear the best say that all the time. I hear the rest say things like “I work real hard.”
Hard work is good but hard work will do nothing but get you to the middle of the pack.
To get to the front, you have to be born to be in the front.
You should have known by the time you were 12 years old what your destiny was.
When I was 12 I knew I was born to spread the good word. I didn't think, I didn't wonder, I just knew.
Like a great strongman or powerlifter just knew what they were born to do.
Those types don't have to work hard to be strong and I don't have to work hard on my craft.
I am of the highest paid writers in existence and I don't even know what a verb is, an adverb, a past participle, a this or that.
I just write the words and they come out beautifully. It comes perfectly natural to me.
I can look at a page of words and the one incredible sentence will jump out to me. A bad sentence will actually make me feel physically sick.
I'll even wake up from nightmares realizing I've created a bad sentence in an old article and I'll get up in the middle of the night to fix it.
I don't understand what in the hell is right or wrong with a sentence, I just feel it. I couldn't teach a class about the technical details of writing and I wouldn't want to.
Those who can, do.
Those who cannot, they try real hard to do but they always fall short of greatness.
And that is for one very simple reason…
Those who fail aren't doing what they were born to do.
If you start listening to your gut instead of to your teachers you will realize that reaching big success is not hard.
Success is actually the easiest thing in the world.
When you do what you were born to do, you succeed wildly beyond your dreams.
When you do what they tell you to do or when you do what doesn't come naturally to you, you fail spectacularly.
So many young men want to know what they should do with their lives.
Here's what you should do…
Do what you already excel at.
You aren't going to be successful tomorrow, but in 5 or 10 years you will be.
If you continue doing what you aren't good at, just because they say you should do it or you like it, you will still be struggling in 5 or 10 years.
You hear all these people say “life is a struggle.”
Well, life is a struggle but not for all people.
Life is a constant struggle only when you fight nature.
When you embrace nature and do what you were born to do, the struggle is not real.
I've said it 10,000 times and I'll say it 10,000 more…
Success is so easy any moron could do it.
All you have to do is do what you were born to do.
When you do what you were born to do, the only struggle is learning what to do with all the money you make.
And that struggle is definitely real.
$$$$$$$
Until next time.
Your man,
-Victor Pride
So true.
My first love is weightlifting but I also tried a bunch of different sports like boxing, trail running, grappling, rock climbing…
I always wondered why while I was working hard and only making average progress in some of those activities, some guys just seemed to be the best of the group without any effort.
Sometimes, this guys almost seemed lazy and bored during training but they were killing it when it was time to compete.
With experience, I understood that it was just what they were naturally meant to do and that everybody has something unique they are good at and should concentrate on.
Great article, Vic.
You made me realize something great here Vic.
All of my youth I dreamed to be an actor or an architect.
I realize I have been acting my whole life, but I’ve acted the wrong roles.
Thanks, acting and designing are my natural talents.
Not wrintng.
Off we go!
‘writing. Although I like it as well, I am greater at ‘acting’.
That is correct.
When I play soccer on the streets, some young fellas still play better than me.
They are just kids from age 10 to 15. My strength, physique, and speed mean nothing. They are just flawless with the ball.
Just throw a ball to them, some controls it with ease and dribble in a way that you will never do.
That’s the moment you realize, some were born with a greater talent.
Hard work means nothing if there is no talent. It is just an uphill battle.
So true.
Strength training is my first love but I did a bunch of other sports like boxing, trail running, grappling…
I was always wondering why while working hard and making average progress in some of these activities, some guys where the best of the group although it looked like they didn’t make any effort during training.
I later understood that it was what they were meant to do and that everybody has something unique they are good at and should concentrate on.
Cheers from France.
Great post as always man. Just curious though, when you say that if you are failing it is not what you were born to do. What would you say to people like Stephen King for instance who was rejected as a writer hundreds of times before succeeding, or people like Edison who failed so many times? Would you still say that it was not what they were born to do?
For 3 1/2 years I struggled trying to be this and that. And now at the 4 year mark things have clicked.
However, if I wouldn’t have went around in no mans land for so many years I wouldn’t have opened my eyes.
My whole journey started when I was 12 as well. Then at 20 I found B&D and for the first time found something I could become obsessed with.
It is as Victor said, “What I was born to do” and I’m taking that to the bank.
-Dylan Madden-
Podcast question:
Victor what is your take on stock market investing? Is it something you think is worthwhile to invest in??
If so where should I start?
my ancestors came to this island to live a free and happy life. of which your posts reminds me.
“See, a great powerlifter is someone who was born with superior strength. These types are always the strongest in the gym. This is the type of person who excels, and wins, at powerlifting.”
I’m reminded of Ken Patera who overhead pressed 100kg the first time he picked up a barbell at 16. Funnily enough, from how he tells it, he was the runt of the litter compared to his two brothers! Bill Kazmaier’s first ever overhead as a prepubescent was his own bodyweight (50kg), and the teacher who was showing him the lift promptly told him to get out of the gym from jealousy. [Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8TzmSL0oF0%5D
Hey Vic,
Been loving your 30 Days of Content so far.
Just wanted to point out that “Success is so easy any moron could do it” links to a 404 error.
Keep up the momentum man, this is kickass. Inspirational for sure
Fixed.
Victor,
I was born to play poker and daily fantasy sports at a professional level.
Soon, I will be a world champion.
Cheers to you, brother. +
” Haven’t you heard the best of the best say “I was born to do this”?
I hear the best say that all the time. I hear the rest say things like “I work real hard.” ”
So true.
When people can’t shut the fuck up about how they “work hard”, they only hard thing they’ve ever done was not tell everyone within a 20-foot radius how much of a “hard worker” they are.
They don’t even understand the words they’re saying. Like you’ve said, the only way to work harder is to work more, and if you’re constantly yapping about how hard you work, then you really aren’t “working hard”.
Truly hard work is going against the status quo and following your destiny to the ends of the eternity.
If you’re someone who only talks about “working hard”, that is.
-Justin N.
Three men come to my mind when I read your great article. John D. Rockefeller created with his sheer willpower and his talent a huge company and he became one of the richest men alive. He was talented in business. Same goes for Genghis Khan who created the biggest empire on the earth. He was a genius in warfare. The last man is Otto von Bismarck who unified the most powerful nation in Europe, Germany. He was talented in diplomacy.
There is also something in my mind. I know I´m born for one thing since I am 13 years old. I know God sent me to earth just to do this one task. I just don´t feel it, I know it. It pulses in every cell of my body. This is the only force that keeps my up in this dark times.
Thank you for this incredible article!
Yes!
Hence why I am a Christian bodybuilding writer and not an atheist powerlifting engineer.
I’ve always known the truth within myself and if I veer off of my path I pay for it through injury, writers block, and depression.
Great article 💪🏻
I think the problem in the arm wrestling was strength of the hand and in the fight it was a combination of hand strength and explosiveness. That’s the problem with current fitness: the grip is too feasible, and the main exercises lack explosiveness which is the main cause that the strength doesn’t easily transfer to fighting. I recently saw an explanation of this on thingsdebunked.wordpress.com. I think you cannot be born weak, as someone born weak will never have strength on his mind all the time. He will rather work around his weakness and not focus too much on the physical.
Hardwork = Doing something you’re not great at
Easywork = Doing something you’re great at
Two ways for success:
1. Doing what you love
2. Doing what you’re great at
And the combination of the two will result an easy success and an easy happiness, ain’t that right Vic?
Hi Vic,
Appreciate the article, you just can’t beat talent plus hard work.
Just to let you know, I think “hiking books” should read “hiking boots” and maybe “I am of the highest paid writers…” Should be “I am one of”
Best,
Karl
Hi Vic,
Since what we are born to do is not measured or determined by “what we are told to do or what we like doing often”
How do one ascertain what he was born to do in life?
Thank you.
What are you good at? Do that.
Those who claim that hard work will beat talent are living in a dream world.
There are media clowns that always talk about working hard as a holy grail.
You cannot optimize working hard!
Only idiots choose to struggle in an uphill battle. And they all want to dictate you to do so.
Chasing something you are not naturally good at is just betraying your own talents.
It is very egoistic at the first place.
Look at M.Jordan. You would have never heard of his name if he insisted on playing Baseball!
The dude had the best everything for the basketball… And guess what?
He says all he would do for his vertical leap was playing basketball and cycling…
People can die under the 600lbs squat bar and still cannot touch the rim.
I challenge you, go and work your ass off every day to become better than MJ.
Just get out of the dream world, my man.
If you live in a dream world, the truth will always kick you in the ass.
Your brother,
Ugur.
Well Said,
True, “Life is a constant struggle only when you fight nature”. Great article reminds me of past days. Overcoming of the struggle is a great deal and its a learning for the future.
Another great post, Victor!
Many of your articles are just logical, systematic descriptions of inchoate ideas I used in my life to better myself.
In engineering school, I was the guy who was good at solving the test problems, and finished with highest honors. But the jobs I was getting after school had almost zero technical problem solving about them. Instead they were logistics and dealing with difficult customers. So after my fourth one like that, I thought I’d better get a Ph.D. Then I could get a job solving technical problems.
But really, you summed it up – I made a change in my life so I could do what I was born to do. Well put!
DAMN that was a GREAT conclusion.
Talent is often defined as a peculiar way of thinking, feeling and acting, unique to every person. Researchers are finding that people are individually and naturally wired to excel at certain vocations. Good of you to highlight it in this noteworthy article.