Just Do The F*cking Work

At the end of the day you can either waste time debating your coach on the training regimen, or you can use that time to just put your head down and do some f*cking work.

If you want to get into serious Machine Learning or any other form of quantitative software, but you shy away from working out taxing math problems, then I don’t know what to tell you — that’s like saying you want to become a pro basketball player, and then shying away from intense weightlifting workouts.

You can make up all sorts of excuses like “this doesn’t feel immediately relevant” or “I heard that this one decent basketballer said they didn’t spend much time in the weight room.” But you know what? That’s some amateur brain funk. Real pros don’t try to weasel their way out of the hard work.

You think you’re too good for the grunt work? Too smart to listen to your coach’s feedback? Then what are you waiting for — go on, succeed all by yourself in your current state. Either prove your inherent greatness, or fail and get your ass handed to you enough times to knock some humility into your head.

At the end of the day you can either waste time debating your coach on the training regimen, or you can use that time to just put your head down and do some f*cking work. One of those actions will turn you into a pro; the other will keep you tethered to amateur level for the rest of your life. It’s your choice.

You want outsized results? Then you’re going to have to put in an outsized amount of work. Achievement, expertise, greatness, whatever the hell you want to call it — it doesn’t happen naturally. It’s about transforming yourself from normal to abnormal in ways that confer a competitive advantage. There’s nothing natural about it.