How Intensity Trumps Skill

“There is no Space or Time
Only intensity,
And tame things
Have no immensity.”
― Mina Loy

The world of sports is a lens. It focuses life to a sharp, heated point.

Competitors battle for supremacy, pitting physical and mental power against each other. There is something primal in all of us hungering to do the same. We dream of it regularly. We jump at the chance to witness it.

As a sports coach, I live this contest many times a year. Through all of it, I’ve realized how the best preparation can be derailed by the failure to do one — single — thing.

MATCH THAT INTENSITY!

When I see the opposing team firing on all cylinders in predator mode, I roar that phrase at my team to raise their hackles. They must match the intensity of their opponent to succeed.

On any given day, a less skilled competitor can defeat you with intensity. There are no givens. There are no guaranteed walks in the park. You must earn every win.

The more success you have, the harder the competition comes at you. The second you let your guard down, the opposition smells blood in the water. They see you as easy prey and pounce.

As with most lessons in sports, the lesson of intensity applies to life, art and business.

Consistency is what you want at practice every day, but intensity is what you must bring to every contest. The best athletes, performers and closers in business know this instinctively. Deep inside you also know this is true.

But knowing is one thing. Experiencing is another. When an apex predator stands face to face with you, can you match that intensity in the moment? You had best get your blood up. Your success, and sometimes your life, depends on it.

Nature operates on the principle of intensity. It is simple, glorious and often brutal. Ignore it at your own peril.