Fortnite is arguably the hottest video game out there right now, and one of the best players offers guidance that is applicable to anyone trying to become successful.
His gamertag is Ninja, and in the last two months he has absolutely exploded in popularity: Over 4 million subscribers on YouTube. Celebrities like Drake have followed him. He's currently pulling in six figures a month between subscriptions/donations. He has been a huge influence on the gaming community. He is an absolute freak-of-nature player, one of if not the best in the world, and on top of that, he's personable. Despite his gigantic numbers, he finds a way to engage his audience while winning game after game.
So what does this have to do with volleyball or sports?
When he has the chance, he'll usually answer a question that viewers sometime include in their donation notes. One person asked him "Do you consider yourself the best or are you always looking to get better."
I knew what the short answer would be, but his explanation was even better. I'm paraphrasing, but he said "Always getting better - of course always getting better. Look - even if someone WAS the best, once someone's satisfied they're putting a ceiling on themselves. Every time I get killed, I screwed up. So that's an opportunity to say to myself 'What did I do wrong? What can I be doing better? What can I do to improve my game?'
Another thing he's always outspoken about is what it takes to get to the top. He's inspired a lot of people to try and pick the game up and hopefully find the same success he's had. He's the first to tell them: It takes time, and you have to be patient. He reminds people he's been playing as a pro gamer for 7 years (and lord knows how much he played before getting to that level). He doesn't go out. He doesn't party. He does this all day every day - it isn't luck, and it isn't easy. A lot of people see his numbers and his success, and I'm appreciative that he's so outspoken about the process behind the results - grinding and working hard to achieve his goals.
So the next time you're not getting the results you want, whether it be losing matches, not getting the playing time you want, or simply struggling with mechanics of your sport, think about his words: What can I do differently?
Are you putting the proper amount of work in? Are you taking care of your body? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you being constructive or destructive with your self-criticism when you make a mistake? Are you going out in your free time or are you putting the work in to get the results you want?
Being frank, if you're not getting the results you want, what are you going to do about it?
Being frank, if you're not getting the results you want, what are you going to do about it?
