What Writer’s Can Learn From Tom Brady and The Art of Deliberate Practice
What made Brady the GOAT works for us writer's as well
You don't need to know anything about football to know who Tom Brady is.
As far as quarterbacks go, he's the GOAT.
But for all of his fame, many people don't know his story. I won't retell it all, but here are a few points that might surprise you:
Brady wasn't a natural football player and, by all accounts, wasn't particularly athletic. He didn't start playing football until high school, when he became the backup quarterback for a team that didn't win a single game.
When he entered the University of Michigan, he was the team's seventh-ranked quarterback. By the end of that year, he had only moved up to fourth. He didn't even start until year four.
While he was drafted to the NFL, 198 people were drafted ahead of him. When he arrived in New England, he was the fourth-ranked quarterback.
In his first year as a pro, he worked his way up to number three. The following year, he got the number two spot. Then, the starter was injured, and Brady took the starting role.
He never went off the field after that. He played 19 seasons with the Patriots, followed by three with the Buccaneers. He set countless records and won seven Super Bowls.
Cool, what does this have to do with writing?
Brady used what's known as deliberate practice, which isn't practice as you'd normally envision it. It's when you constantly push yourself just beyond your limit. It's working one step outside of your comfort zone day after day for months or years on end.
It seems so obvious, but most people either don't know what deliberate practice is or they're unwilling to do it.
For you, this means writing one step outside what's comfortable. Learn how to research from scholarly sources with links to add to your articles. Experiment with your topics, style, article length, tone, and images. Write a contrarian view on a popular topic.
When you look back at what you wrote a year ago, it should make you cringe.
For most of us, deliberate practice is the only option that makes any sense. I'm not a naturally gifted writer (I'm not sure anyone is), and if I don't make progress as a writer, I'll get bored. If I get bored, I'll eventually quit. If this sounds familiar, go all in on deliberate practice.
Write what makes you happy, but make sure sometimes hitting the publish button scares the shit out of you.
Talk soon,
Josh
P.S.
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