How To Tie Your Shoes (Correctly)

I recently read about a legendary coach John Wooden talking about the importance of fundamentals. As an example, one of the first things he did when teaching college basketball was not how to shoot, how to play or anything like that. The first thing he taught his students was how to properly put on their socks and shoes. Why? Because he learned that a lot of blisters and injuries come from wrinkled socks and shoes that were too big. Basketball has a lot of start-stop-start movements, which puts a lot of pressure on the feet, so he understood the importance of simply putting on your socks and shoes properly. In so many things, mastering the fundamentals makes you incredibly capable at competing. In business, the fundamentals are choosing a market, finding a need or a niche, creating a good offer, putting that offer in front of as many qualified potential customers as possible, and then delivering the best service or a product. In driving a car, the fundamentals are being in an aware state, not having anything intoxicating, keeping your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and adjusting to the conditions of the road. In performance, the fundamentals are your mindset (how you think), your actions (what you do) and your attitude (how you feel). If you can master the fundamentals extremely well, that qualifies you to compete with the world's best - even if you don't have the same resources or experience. Remember how in Karate kid, Daniel was able to beat other, more experienced fighters simply because he followed the fundamental principles to the T.