The concept of “talent” is often overrated. If something can be learned, it is a skill. If it’s innate, it’s a talent. A lot of so-called talents are really skills in disguise. Skill is a learnt ability. It is acquired or developed after you put in a lot of time and hard work. The difference between talent and skill is hard work. … Yes, talent is considered innate and natural while skill is developed with practice.

Take someone like Michael Phelps, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Serena Williams. If you ask any of these elite athletes if they are simply just naturally talented, I can assure you that each would give identical answers: hard work, diligence  and practice is what has propelled them to be great in their attributes.

Hard work beats out talent whenever talent doesn’t ‘work hard’. Everyone has the ability to beat out someone else. It’s just a matter of how hard you’re willing to work for it and how much dedication and sacrifice you’re willing to pour into the daily practices that will get to where you want to go. The outcome is always up to you.

Ready to adopt a take no prisoners attitude? Here are a few life lessons courtesy of one of my favourite elite athletes, David Goggins–to make you unbeatable:

To Grow in Life, Be Willing to Suffer

As human beings, we run away from pain and suffering. This mechanism is ingrained in our brains. But if we become conscious of this pattern and deliberately do the things that we fear, we will embark on a path of lasting greatness.

Goggins says that suffering is the only way you can grow. When you’re trying to run a marathon, you have to build calluses on your feet. And when you’re trying to get ahead in life, you have to build calluses in your brain. The problem is that too many people give up before the breakthrough occurs.

Build A Thick Skin

According to David Goggins, people of our generation quit as soon as they’re talked to. If someone tells them that they can’t do it, they just give up. But to be mentally tough, you have to accept adversity.

Don’t Live in An External World, Go Inside Yourself

Goggins advises that to truly become great and unstoppable, you need to go inside yourself into introspection and find who you are. Sit alone in a room. Ponder over the course of your life, how it has shaped you, what desires you developed along your journey, notice any important transitions and how they changed you. You need to read your own book.

Admit Your Weaknesses

We have a tendency to run away from the truth. When things are not working, it is easy to blame this or that. 

In order to emerge stronger on the other side, we need to accept our faults. We need to confront our darker truths in order to harness the power they have over us.

Self-Talk and Visualization Are The Keys to Fighting Negativity

We have seen how Goggins used positive self-talk for keep going through the hard times. His body had shut down, a doctor would qualify him as unfit for running and probably send him directly to a hospital. But he used empowering words to turn pain into power. 

The second most powerful tool we have is our imagination. Visualize yourself succeeding, living the life you want, celebrating the peak of your success with your friends and family. Not only long-term, you can visualize for daily challenges as well. You can do it with your workout, your job, your love life – anything.

In the end, being fearless, being not afraid to face your fears will make you happy and allow you to achieve more than you ever dreamed was possible.