I’m not much of a sports fan, but I love a good sports analogy. Athletes, especially elite ones, devote extraordinary effort to succeed, and their habits often translate directly into business and personal growth.

If you know anything about basketball, you know Stephen Curry. He’s widely regarded as the greatest three-point shooter in history. His long-range accuracy is almost superhuman. There’s even a video of him making ten full-court shots in a row, each one a perfect swish. Not the kind of thing AI fakes. That's talent, yes, but it's not the whole story.

There’s a lesser-known part of Curry’s greatness that’s far more relevant to the rest of us: His mastery of the free throw.

When a player is fouled, they’re awarded an uncontested shot from the free-throw line. Seems simple. But this “simple” act is often what determines a close game or even a championship.

Curry hits 93% of his free throws.

The average NBA player hits 78%.

Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant players ever, averaged 52%.

That gap between 78% and 93% is the difference between good and nearly automatic. And in the NBA, where games are regularly decided by one or two points, that difference is massive.

There’s another angle: Coaches will sometimes instruct players to intentionally foul an opposing shooter they think is likely to miss the free throws. They did it to Shaq constantly, to the point where it was termed “Hack the Shaq.” They never ever do it to Steph.

Why? Too risky. Because Curry has elevated a fundamental skill to the level of mastery.

The Hidden Ingredient: Diligence

My friend Alan Stein, a top performance coach, trained with Curry early in his career. One story he shared has stuck with me ever since. At the end of each practice, when everyone else would go into the locker room, Curry would go to the free-throw line and practice his shot.

He wouldn't leave the gym until he had made 10 perfect swishes in a row. If the tenth shot touched the rim, he started over.

This is diligence. This is a master doing the fundamentals until boredom, resistance, and perfection meet. And this is where the lesson applies directly to your success.

Where Most People Fall Short

We live in a world designed to keep us entertained and distracted. Our phones are engineered to prevent boredom. Yet success very often requires boredom.

Because, let’s face it, practicing the fundamentals is boring. Repetition is boring. But do you know what’s even more boring? Staying average.

It’s the same for musicians doing scales. Actors rehearsing lines. Writers drafting endless revisions. The people who excel simply stay with the fundamentals longer than those who don’t. And they accept boredom as part of the process.

Whether you’re a salesperson, a dentist, an entrepreneur, or a leader, your “free throws” are the simple, unglamorous actions that compound into mastery.

Your free throws might be:

• Making the calls you don’t want to make
• Hearing “no” far more often than “yes”
• Repeating your script until you can deliver it in your sleep
• Rehearsing presentation over and over

And here’s a big one: role-playing. Most of us dread it, but there is often no better way to refine a skill. And the reality is, there are no negative consequences to role-playing, except in your head. We hate not being good at something. So, just start thinking of it like you’re just hitting the rim, and you get to take another shot. Nothing to be ashamed of, just room for improvement. You’re simply getting better before it matters, so you’re game is strong when it does.

Why I Tell You This (And Why I Tell Myself This)

I don’t enjoy rehearsing my presentations. I don’t enjoy repeating a section over and over until it lands. But I do it because that’s the price of being as impactful as possible on stage. And the reward is being spontaneous, creative, and fully present when I’m in front of an audience.

Mastery gives you freedom.
Fundamentals give you mastery.

If you’re getting average results, there’s a good chance you’ve been avoiding the fundamentals. Maybe it feels easier to stay where you are. But “easier” isn’t better. Not if you want more.

THIS WEEK'S BOLDNESS EXERCISE

Pick one simple boldness exercise and repeat it today.

Examples:

• Smile at a stranger
• Compliment someone in line at Starbucks
• Strike up a 20-second conversation with someone new
• Practice your pitch out loud five times
• Role-play a tough conversation with a friend or colleague
• 

If you hesitate, that’s the resistance.

The same resistance that keeps you from practicing the fundamentals.

Push through it. Do the simple thing. The low-stakes thing. The “boring” thing.

Because that’s where your boldness grows. And bold people win when it matters.