I have learned that champions aren't just born; champions can be

Hear the words of Lewis Howes, spoken with the clarity of one who has walked the road of discipline and discovery: “I have learned that champions aren’t just born; champions can be made when they embrace and commit to life-changing positive habits.” In this truth lies the secret of greatness. For while talent may be granted at birth, it is not enough to carry a soul to glory. Strength without discipline withers, brilliance without practice dims. It is the steady fire of habits, chosen and lived daily, that shapes an ordinary life into the life of a champion.

The ancients knew this well. They taught that excellence is not a gift but a practice. Aristotle himself declared, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” To perform a single great deed is admirable, but to engrain greatness into the rhythm of one’s days—that is the path to immortality. Thus Howes, echoing this ancient wisdom, reminds us that it is not the lightning of talent that makes the champion, but the steady sunrise of positive habits repeated again and again.

Consider the story of Michael Jordan. He was not the most gifted player in his youth; indeed, he was once cut from his high school basketball team. Yet instead of despair, he embraced the path of discipline. Hours upon hours of practice became his altar, his rituals of sweat and repetition became his prayer. Through these positive habits, he transformed himself into one of the greatest athletes of all time. His life shows that the champion is not born fully formed, but forged in the furnace of commitment.

But let us look beyond sport, for the principle is universal. Consider Abraham Lincoln, born into poverty, with little formal education. By the light of fire, he taught himself to read and to write, committing daily to the habits of study and reflection. These quiet disciplines raised him from obscurity to the presidency, where his wisdom preserved a nation in its darkest hour. His greatness was not chance, but the fruit of habits cultivated faithfully over years.

The wisdom here is also a warning. Many waste their gifts, trusting in what they were given at birth, never cultivating the disciplines that would allow them to grow. Others falter because they underestimate the quiet power of routine, imagining that greatness must come from sudden inspiration. But Howes teaches us to see clearly: it is the small, steady acts of discipline—the positive habits of thought, action, and spirit—that accumulate into destiny. The river of greatness is fed not by floods, but by daily streams.

The lesson for us is clear: do not wait for talent alone to carry you, nor envy those who seem to be born with more. Begin instead with what you can control: your habits. Choose them with care, for they shape not only your days but your character. A champion is not one who never falls, but one who, through positive habits, rises each time with greater strength.

Practical steps flow from this wisdom. Begin by identifying the habits that weaken you—idleness, doubt, distraction—and replace them with habits that build strength: discipline in study, faithfulness in work, kindness in speech, perseverance in trial. Commit to small actions daily, for it is the repetition of small things that leads to great transformation. Surround yourself with others who live by noble habits, for their example will sharpen your resolve. In this way, you forge within yourself the spirit of the champion, whether in battle, in art, in service, or in love.

So remember Howes’ counsel: “Champions aren’t just born; champions can be made when they commit to positive habits.” This is not a promise of ease, but of possibility. Greatness lies not in birth, but in the choices of each day. Embrace this path, and though you may not be born a champion, you will surely die as one—your life a testimony to the power of discipline, faith, and unyielding commitment.