The 'Boring' That Pays Off
The SaturnDay Speakeasy
“Do the work.” –
Ian Dunlap, The Master Investor
"The 'boring' work IS the moat." –
Simple, yet profound.
Onlookers can always appreciate and admire the win… not knowing what it took to get there.
In my companion article,
I briefly related the whiff of prestige I enjoyed in the arena of sports. Built on pre-pubescent fancy.
Growing up, as every child (I assume) has done… I’ve released the buzzer-beater from blistered hands;
I’ve leaped for the Hail Mary, tippy-toe-ing along the sideline, in the corner of the end zone (one-handed, naturally);
Oh and of course – the three balls, two strikes, bases loaded, down three runs, bottom of the ninth, game seven, World Series Grand Slam – in my hometown, no less (Shea Stadium).
So it could be said that I was heavy into sports as a youth.
Later on, not so much. Not really because of the teams, but moreso because of the fans in my forced environs.
I still however, watch the draft.
Every draft. All sports. Both genders.
Politics aside – the parallels to certain nefarious institutions promulgated by the occupational gover-
(Okay, okay, I did just say, “aside”).
So, Boom – on draft night, I'm looking for one thing, one thing only. Okay, fine… the highlights are kool too!
My raison d’être, though?
Watching them find out they've been selected. Yes, I know – the selection (along with the NFL combine) is the very apex of the complaint I just refrained from voicing…
Still… That moment.
Not only for them; for mom, dad, family and friends.
That being said, the unmistakable joy witnessed is more than just the (understandable) childhood "dream come true" that is viewed on the surface.
Some are super animated, like Travis Hunter or Paige Bueckers.
Others are as chill as an Angel Reese or a Kyrie Irving.
At the time of this writing, the NBA draft is imminent. The latest Finals Champions, at press time, as yet undetermined.
The Indiana Pacers and the Thunder have returned to Oklahoma City for Game 7 to answer that definitively.
The winner of the Lottery for the present draft: The Dallas Mavericks, despite having only a 1.8% possibility of pulling the ticket. Will they select Dylan Harper? Cooper Flagg? Whoever is the top pick, what will his demeanor be? Uncertain.
What is certain – common to every player that graces that stage - is the satisfaction of long, hard years of work.
The setbacks and obstacles overcome – that drive, finally paying off.
And each of those years was 12 months, with 28 days or better of more work hours than sleep and leisure combined.
Not every repetition held excitement. Instead, they were investments in delayed gratification.
The promise of that excitement, the promise of a life-changing experience, the promise of this exact moment that kept them going… with the "boring" stuff.
So Boom – the lesson? It is, as I continue to spin my broken phonograph, simple. Just not easy… Do the work.
Comment the 'boring' that is carrying you to your “draft moment.”
#okaysoboom #SaturnDaySpeakeasy
So, Wha'cha doin' fi de good ah you'self?