What most people don’t realize is that if you want to succeed in anything, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication. Many people have natural talent such as being very quick or having impeccable eye hand coordination. These people will excel at the sport they do, but will they be the best, or better put become a superstar? That depends.

Sports is just like anything else in life. If you want to succeed you’re going to have to go above and beyond everyone else. It can’t be ignored that superstars are all over the media for using sports enhancing drugs. Well think of life as being on steroids. If you get into the mind of a superstar such as Alex Rodriguez, Miriam Jones, Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuire you’ll realize that they were the best at what they did. But, their competitive attitude and desire to become THE best overcame their ethics of playing on an even playing field. That is, one without using any enhancing stimulant to boost their performance. All these athletes were considered exceptionally good at what they do if not the best, and no doubt Hall of Fame material.

These people worked harder than anyone day in and day out (this is not a question at issue). I was watching the golf channel with my roommate Russ the other quarter, and it was a show trying to turn Charles Berkeley into a golf player. The trainer that took on this task had set up a work program that would test his patience and dedication. In the end, the trainer said he had never seen anyone work that hard except Tiger Woods. Life is like a game, and if you don’t work hard at it, you’re not going to come out on top.

One thing I have noticed is that being an entrepreneur and starting a business isn’t a task that everyone can do. There is a low percentage that many will have an idea to start a business but not take the initial steps in making it a reality. People think it’s like a sport. You can join a team and have fun, and become good. But if you want something to happen, you’re going to have to work hard and put that idea into action – no exceptions. What I realized in starting a business is that it takes the same work ethic as a superstar athlete. You have to spend the time to do the initial research, put together a business plan, and execute your plans. It involves getting your name out there, putting in the time, and essentially live and breathe what you’re doing. If you’re just “trying” it, to see if it will work (like in sports; trying it to see if it is fun), you might be good at what you do, but you won’t excel at what you’re doing. Taken for granted that a very lucky few do slip through the cracks.

If you plan on half assing anything whether it be a team sport, starting a business, doing your homework, or just stop what you’re doing. You’re just wasting your time. You may get it done, but not at the level you are capable of doing it at. I had listened to this guy Johnny Cupcakes speak at my school a few weeks ago. And his simple philosophy was that, if you’re not putting in 110% in what you’re doing, don’t bother. You can’t be concentrating on multiple things and expect to succeed in at what you’re doing. He used a real life example – his girlfriend. At the time his clothing business was expanding he realized that his girlfriend took a lot of time out of his work. That is, eating dinner, just hanging out, and cuddling. Such that he would get to her house at 5 and eat dinner, and then hang out, and then she would want him to sleep over. Calculate all that time (5-7 in the morning = 14 hours), and that is a lot of work time lost. There can’t be two loves in your life because they will just clash into each other at some point in time.

My thoughts are that in the end just concentrate on one thing and put your everything into it. Have a list of things you want to do, and do each one separately. If you start working on to many things at once, you’re going to be distracted on other things when you should be concentrating on another. What do you want? Someone who works for you that gets things done? or someone who works hard and gets things done? The latter of course.

So a 22 year old took a bong hit, which snap, crackled, and popped around the world. However, we all know smoking the devil’s grass isn’t going to help you swim faster. Michael Phelps also didn’t deny the fact that he did it, he accepts what he did and any punishment to come. On the flip side we have a 35 year old, A-Rod, who probably “roided” himself to become a superstar (I don’t believe steroids, HGH, testosterone, or any precursor to steroids help with eye hand coordination). However, they do help with recovery, hitting the ball harder and further, and running faster. Alex Rodriguez denies the fact that he has ever taken any performance enhancing drugs and is rewarded with a ~$20 million per year pay check. As the media portrays it…Is he the hero we are looking for?

Why does the media get all caught up into “role models” or “heroes”. And why do we as a society make sports people heroes? They are people who are big and strong (some by fake means), and others just genetic freaks (maybe with some help as well). However, they shouldn’t be held up as heroes…They can run faster than some, throw a ball further than others, and swim faster than fish, but they are people. Not Heroes. You should go to a fire department if you want to see heroes. Go to an inner city elementary school to see heroes. Go to an emergency room to see heroes.

They are just ordinary people. Of course a young guy like Michael Phelps is going to “experiment” with things he shouldn’t. We don’t learn by doing nothing. We learn from our mistakes. But just because he is an icon and in the eye of ‘everyone’ doesn’t mean he should be punished more severely or differently than other people. You see this mostly in celebrities getting a punishment reduced to hardly anything. Alex Rodriguez is choosing to do something which isn’t permitted. Of course he is “breaking the law”, but take a closer look…

There were over 89 players listed in that report, plus Jose Canseco’s claims, and add Joe Torre’s claims. That is a lot of people using performance enhancing drugs, and these are only the tip of the iceberg. The ones that “got caught” or better put, speculated to have used performance enhancing drugs. What about the others? I guarantee you there are other Balco’s out there that have drugs undetectable and other players are using. Who cares, its the new age. I say this, because most of the time people have hunches or have heard things. And the only way to get on the same playing field is to join them (Even though this may not be the right decision), it makes the game even. Unless you want to have a league separated like bodybuilding into natural and non-natural lifters, or in this case a baseball league where there are those who have used sports enhancing drugs vs. those who haven’t. I don’t people would look to highly upon that…That would kill any sport and advertisers wouldn’t be happy. Plus you wouldn’t be happy because your Sunday / Monday night entertainment wouldn’t be on anymore (Basketball, Baseball, Football). Most players make mistakes, and most haven’t used performance enhancing drugs until later in their career because of injury or ego.

Since professional athletes are portrayed as icons, heroes, and role models…why not just focus on the positive things such as their helping out a community rather than display drug busts, shootings, animal cruelty all over TV and the internet. Focus on the hardwork, dedication, and commitment they have done their whole life to get where they are now. Let them live once in a while and let them be free. Let bygones be bygones.