Success takes these three things…in that order.
I heard an NPR interview with the high school basketball coach of WNBA star Candace Parker, who is about to retire from the WNBA. In describing her, the coach said:
She loves basketball, and she’s a hard worker, and she’s talented.
Love, work, talent. These are the three things that it takes to succeed, and they are in diminishing order of importance.
Talent is important, no doubt. But it’s not as important as hard work. And you’re never going to put in the hard work to hone your talent if you don’t absolutely love the work.
It’s as true for basketball as it is for singing, acting, teaching, writing, or any other work you might choose to do.