The mind makes sense of the world by running a narrative that’s not unlike a movie. Major events happen that tell us where we are in the story and why: we are born, we grow up, we become trained in something, we get married, friends die.
Training to be an Olympian is always hard. It requires long hours of physical training, sacrifice as a personal and social life is put on hold, focus, determination and the ability to remain mentally tough. While it’s the physical side everyone focuses on, because it’s the most visible, it’s the mental one that actually makes a difference big enough to deliver the medals.
Every book, these days, is the result of the efforts of many people. Sure the writer sits behind the keyboard and bangs away at it like a deranged pianist (at least that’s what I do), but without the assistance of many other people along the way the writing is unlikely to see the light of day, nor is it likely to be any good when it does.