You Need to Play Hurt

The athlete knows the day will never come when he wakes up pain-free. He has to play hurt. — Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

At 33, Andri Agassi won the Australian Open. By that age, most tennis pros have retired. His body was destroyed — he woke up every morning with excruciating back pain. But he played through. And we won.

That’s a champion mindset. He’s playing hurt.

We all play hurt. Sometimes it’s physical. Sometimes it’s mental. Each of us must learn how to bring out our A-game even when we’re torn up.