Theodore Roosevelt's greatness wasn't rooted in god-given abilities or superior knowledge, but in his ability to work hard for a long time--his capacity for action.
As he said,
“I have only a second-rate brain, but I think I have a capacity for action."
In 1900, during the height of the presidential race, Roosevelt's schedule was as follows.
7:00 AM: Breakfast
7:30 AM: A speech
8:00 AM: Reading a historical work
9:00 AM: A speech
10:00 AM: Dictating letters
11:00 AM: Discussing Montana mines
11:30 AM: A speech
12:00 PM: Reading an ornithological work
12:30 PM: A speech
1:00 PM: Lunch
1:30 PM: A speech
2:30 PM: Reading Sir Walter Scott
3:00 PM: Answering telegrams
3:45 PM: A speech
4:00 PM: Meeting the press
4:30 PM: Reading
5:00 PM: A speech
6:00 PM: Reading
7:00 PM: Supper
8-10 PM: Speaking
11:00 PM: Reading alone in his car
12:00 AM: To bed
A high capacity for action is a competitive advantage. Working smart is great. Do it when you can. But nothing beats hard-core labor for hours on end, day after day. The more you can work--the higher your capacity for action is--the farther you will go.
As Abraham Lincoln explained to a fellow law student about the secret to his success, "Work, work, work, is the main thing."
You can do everything to improve your efficiency, take advantage of AI, and use all of the tech gadgets, but in the end, winning, improving, and succeeding comes down to a simple thing--your capacity to work.
Every minute of every day for Roosevelt was action. Reading. Speaking. Learning. Writing. There was no such thing as wasted energy or wasted movements. It was about action, action, and some more action.
With time, that does more wonders than any work trick or efficiency focus you implement. A high capacity for work is one of the game's biggest advantages.
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You can check out the podcast on Theodore Roosevelt for a deeper dive into his life and his greatness
You can check out other episodes of the Greatness Podcast, where I dive into the lives and stories of the world's greatest individuals.
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