The magnificent obsession
George Chingarande | Monday September 29, 2014 11:09
There are a few correct answers to the question with posed above. First, they were all champions who were very good at what they did or what they still do in the case of the Williams sisters. Secondly, they all excelled in sports. Third, and most importantly they were all child prodigies. By definition, a child prodigy or Wunderkid is a person who, at an early age, develops one or more skills at a level far beyond the norm for their age.
A prodigy has to be a child, or at least younger than 18 years, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavor. Although they achieved fame in different fields of endeavor none can contest that these young people were exceptional performers. How did they achieve it? Were they freaks of nature or did they stumble upon some magic wand? Let us consult their life stories for answers.
In May 1978, a middle aged man in his late thirties watched the prize presentation ceremony for a Women’s Tennis tournament. The winner of that tournament was 23-year-old Romanian Virginia Ruzici and the television commentator was Bud Collins. During the ceremony bud said to Virginia, “$40, 000 is not bad for four days’ work.” The statement struck the viewer who himself was in financial dire straits. He did not quite believe what he had just heard and was inclined to believe that it was just a joke.
On his way from work the following day, the man bought a newspaper, and to his utter amazement the sports pages of the newspaper carried the story and confirmed that Virginia’s prize money for winning the tournament was indeed $40, 000. In his own words the man says, “ I didn’t know nothing about tennis. I hadn’t even watched a tennis match. I just saw Bud Collins say to Virginia Ruzici, “$40,000 is not bad for four days’ work.” I thought, that has to be a joke. But the next day, when I read it in the sports pages, I said, “I’m going to have me two kids and put them in tennis.” That was the genesis of the Williams phenomenon.
The man who was then a divorcee went to work on his idea. By June 1980 the first of the two children was born and the second followed in September 1981. From the day he made the resolution, the man began to teach himself tennis and to learn as much as he could about the sport. When the children were old enough to hold tennis rackets he began coaching them. In 1999, a good 21 years after he watched the television presentation, one of the children won the US Open championship.
Since then, the two children have developed into a very dominant force in the sport. Between them they have more than 30 major championships, more than four Olympic gold medals, more than eighty million dollars in prize money and more than 100 million dollars in endorsement and sponsorship deals. Much like Richard Williams, Hungarian education psychologist Laszlo Polgar, well before he even met his future wife published a book by the title Bring Up Genius in which he advanced the thesis that prodigies are not born but nurtured and genius equals work and fortunate circumstances. He went on to prove his thesis by getting married and raising three daughters who all became chess grandmasters and world record breakers in their teens.
In 1976 at the age of 7 Mary Lou Retton watched the Nadia Comaneci of Romania winning the Olympics gymnastics champion. That day she declared to the people that were present that she would become an Olympic champion in gymnastics like Comaneci. In the years that ensued that declaration became an obsession. She left the comfort of home at an early age to join a specialist coaching program. To improve her skills she put herself on a punishing training regime which went on for two four hour sessions ( from 7 to 11 in the morning, and 5 to 9 in the evening) everyday. She qualified for the 1980 Olympics but a broken wrist prevented her from participating. Four years later she was a champion. She went on to win many more titles.
This, despite the fact that she was born with a congenital hip problem and suffering an injury that required surgery five weeks before the 1984 Olympics. Like the other child prodigies, Bobby Fischer committed his life totally to chess at a young age. He went on to become the youngest chess champion and the youngest grandmaster. Up to today he is still regarded by many as the best chess players ever. We have presented these few examples as a preface to one loaded statement we wish to make: If you can desire it, and make your will and flesh servants of your cause and focus your energy on the object of your desires until your desire becomes an obsession; you too will achieve results that exceed the norm for your age and circumstances by far.
Talent is noble but often overestimated; while hard work and focus may seem ignoble but are much more potent than we care to acknowledge. Temptations to be obsessed with meaningless themes abound but to be obsessively preoccupied with a noble cause is to have what we will call the magnificent obsession. Everyone who wishes to make a difference and to depart from the shadows of obscurity and oblivion; and stand in the glittering pantheon of success should be mindful of the fact that dreams are free but achievement comes with a price tag.