My dream as a kid was to become a professional basketball player.

Sadly, I could hardly play. If you knew me before high school, you would have laughed at my dream. I was built like a runner (skinny), average height, and white.

But that didn’t stop me from dreaming.

And not only dreaming, but making a decision in middle school that would forever change my dream.

While I made the middle school basketball team (we had two teams), I wasn’t a starter. I tried hard, but could never make a big enough dent to become a starter.

That’s when I made the decision to do whatever was needed to become a starter in high school.

From 7/8th grade to 12th grade, I spent my days and weeks practing:

• 30-60 minutes daily of ball handling drills
• 1.5 hours of shooting practice 2-3 times a week
• Lifting weights every other day

By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I found my groove. I was a starter on our JV team and found defense to be my strength. Soon enough, I was starting on the varisty team.

While I started every game and was a major contributor, I quickly found out that I would never achieve my dream. But I realize another truth that’s stuck with me:

If you’re intentional about your training, you can go from terrible to great.

While I couldn’t cross the threshold to exceptional and make basketball my job, I realized that there was a science (and art) to upgrading yourself (skills).

Instead of playing pickup games, I took 1,000 shots from different places on the court.

Rather than go out and hangout with friends, I was dribbling two balls in my basement.

Over time, I saw consistent gains which then elevated my play. This got me addicted to optimization and improvement.

And is the impetitus for this guide.

This guide is for anyone who is willing to put in consistent effort over time to become better.

This guide is NOT for someone looking to become better by hacking the system (aka doing minimal work).