[wgerard]

> If you had only tried a bit harder practicing lay ups in gym class, you could be just as good as Michael Jordan

I don't think it's that - MJ obviously had a lot of things going for him other than his practice ethic (for one, not too many people are 6'6"). Most people just want to be slightly better than their peers - they want to be the best player on their rec league, and understand they're not going to the NBA.

That holds some water, since as the article notes deliberate practice has more effect at the lower levels of competition.

Or to bring it back to your golf analogy - you were never going to be even a low-level professional golfer, but with enough deliberate practice you could've probably held your own against your co-workers at a company event. That's the goal of most people engaging in deliberate practice, outside of very select environments.

Obviously that doesn't counteract your sheer anguish of practice, though, and you're right that it's quite difficult to practice if you don't have an aptitude for the task.