If you follow professional football you are hearing a lot about Tim Tebow’s perceived lack of passing talent. Even so, he continues to win. So what’s up with that? If you look deeper into the story, you will find that his teammates believe in his leadership and drive, even if his head coach and the sports news talking heads do not.

Obviously, there is something else in play here. Let me explain. Talent by itself is like a box cake mix. Until you add some water and eggs, you have nothing of value. Talent without heart and drive will not win a championship for you. After coaching high school basketball for several years I found that teams who relied on their talent for success were the easiest to beat.

Success comes more from effort than talent. Yes, talent is an important ingredient to success, but it is just an ingredient. The plain truth is that there are many people with talent who are wasting away with sub-par performance because of a lack of effort. At the same time, there are people who are less talented, but because of their effort they accomplish great things.

Let me give you some exciting information. Your success depends on your effort. Sure, talent helps but effort is what carries you to the top. You can go as far in life as your effort will take you. There is no magic, no silver bullet, or short cut to success. It is all up to you. My dad used to tell me that in order to win I had to out work the competition. I have found this to be as true in business as it is in athletics.

So, put on your game face and get busy. Plan to out work and out effort the competition. Success is a choice you make, not something that just happens to you.