"Why would he do that?" Martin asked.

"Because he knew that a player couldn't run or jump or play at their best if their shoes weren't tied. Success is all about the fundamentals. And the fundamentals are little and ordinary and often boring. But to be the best, I'm telling you now, you must master them. You must become a master of the ordinary. In every act of greatness, whether in sports, business, science, or the arts, the best of the best accomplish extraordinary feats by doing ordinary things with extraordinary consistency, commitment, and focus. As in baseball, you must decide what will help you get 1.7 hits more per week. You must decide what fundamentals require your zoom focus. In football the fundamentals vary by position. In life they vary by the work you do and the job you have. Every job, whether you are carrying a football, a briefcase, a musical instrument, a computer, or a shovel, features fundamentals that can be mastered, and if you master them you will become the best at what you do. This is what I teach and drill into my linemen every day, and it's why they are the best in the league."

"And know this," Sully said, joining the conversation. "It doesn't happen overnight. Some call it the 10-year rule, which says that it takes 10 years of practice to become great at something. Others call it the 10,000 hour rule, which says you must practice something for 10,000 hours to master it. But however long it takes, I call it the practice till you master the fundamentals rule."

"That's why greatness is a life mission," Coach Ken said. "It's not just about striving to get better, it's about getting better by focusing on the right things. It's not just about practice, but focused practice. It's not just about taking action, but taking zoom-focused action. It's about practicing and perfecting the fundamentals."

"I couldn't agree more," Sully added. "You know, I always get a good laugh when announcers after a football game will ask a Coach why they won and you can always tell they are expecting some deep answer. The coach will often say, 'Well, we ran the ball well. We blocked well. We tackled well. We threw the ball well.' The announcer is looking for more, but there really isn't anything more. The recipe for success is not complicated. The art is in staying focused and being able to put the recipe together. It's about practice and execution."

"It's the same way in business," Coach Ken said. "When I interviewed some of the top sales guys for a company to find out why they were the best, I didn't hear any secret recipe. They simply said that they planned their day. They made their calls. They followed up. They did this day in and day out. They committed to the process of focusing on the fundamentals for their business, and it made all the difference.

"The key is to focus on improving each day and to take the necessary action steps. If you incrementally improve each day, each week, each month, each quarter, by the end of the year you'll see remarkable results and growth. When you zoom-focus on the process, the outcome takes care of itself. Great coaches, great teams, great players, and the best at what they do are able to zoom-focus, to create a system and process to master the fundamentals. This system and process drive the way they think, their practice and preparation, and how they approach each day. Over time, by committing to this process and system, the best develop their skill and enhance their performance as they strive for excellence and perfect execution. And that's why I always say that championships are not won on Super Bowl Sunday. They are won in Training Camp. They are won by how we practice and prepare throughout the season in August, September, October, and November. They are won by zoom focusing and committing to the process.

Martin couldn't help but think about his own career and process over the years. He approached the game with such intensity and drive and was always trying to figure out how to get the edge. Yet he realized that maybe in this drive to get the edge and find the latest performance strategy, maybe he had ignored an important fundamental crucial to success. He wondered what else he needed to zoom-focus on to take his game to the next level. What had he not considered? What had he ignored? The answers would be key to the success of anyone striving to be the best.