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Work Ethic: A Common Character Trait of the GOATs

Tiger Woods was just inducted into the golf hall of fame. Must have been the easiest vote in history!

Most assume Tiger’s piercing stinger and jaw dropping short game are derived from God-given talent. Think again. Even Tiger does not believe that he is the most talented golfer: “People don’t understand that when I grew up, I was never the most talented. I was never the biggest. I was never the fastest. I certainly was never the strongest. The only thing I had was my work ethic, and that’s been what has gotten me this far.”

Tiger made reference to what helped him reach the top of the game in his induction speech as well. His reference to this is inspiring for all of us: “Nothing is ever going to be given to you. Everything’s going to be earned. If you don't go out there and put in the work, you don't put in the effort, one, you are not going to get the results. But two, more importantly, you don't deserve it. You didn't earn it. That defined my upbringing. That defined my career."

Tiger’s induction into the hall of fame and his legacy as the greatest of all time got us thinking about what separates the best from the rest in all of sports. You can check out Tiger's full speech here.

Find any athlete at the top of their game and you are almost surely going to find someone with an intense work ethic like Tiger. Let’s have a look at work ethic of the consensus GOATs of the major sports:

I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. -Michael Jordan

Jordan worked his way to 6 NBA titles, 6 NBA final MVPs and 5 NBA MVP awards. And it was no accident. MJ is legendary for his work ethic - teammates often recount how Jordan competed just as hard in practice as he did in actual games. (For the record, Jordan now puts this same energy into his own golf game.)

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I worked hard every day. That I never dog it. -Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky won 4 Stanley Cup titles and holds nearly every scoring record in the NFL. He was often labeled as “too small” to make it in the NHL as a youth hockey player in Canada. The “Great One” credits his grandparents, immigrant farmers from Belarus and Poland, for instilling in him the grit and determination that made him a legend. Some believe he was in fact the greatest athlete of all time.

It's hard to beat a person who never gives up. -Babe Ruth

Did you know that Babe Ruth, the King of Home Runs, was also the King of Strike Outs at the time of his retirement? Ruth defined perseverance stepping up to the plate at each at bat with confidence that he was going to go yard.

Most picture Babe Ruth as a hot dog eating, beer chugging slugger. However, Ruth is known for being the first team athlete to have a personal trainer and he trained rigorously in the gym during the offseason. He even worked hard at his craft playing in sandlot and exhibition games when the MLB was not in season.

Are you putting everything you can into accomplishing your goals in life? What do you need to reset today to help you accomplish your goals?

Many of us have a lot of competing priorities in life. From family to working out to sports, it can be challenging to strike the right balance. Step back and evaluate your goals and prioritize your weekly plan accordingly.

Also, for those of you who think Nicklaus is still the golf GOAT, here is Jack's take on the importance of hard work in golf and life.

A Golfer's Mindset