https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duck...

She talks about how deliberate practice is almost never enjoyable because you're trying to improve specific things, but it is how you attain mastery. The other side is "flow", when that mastery is display, and she mentions how it can look so effortless for top athletes, when it's almost definitely the result of hours and hours of deliberate practice.

Side note... The author repeatedly mentioning "grit" and "self-control" seems to be citing (maybe subconsciously) Angela Duckworth's research[1]. As an fyi, there has been criticism of her study:

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/05/25/479172868/angela-d...

If Duckworth's research is flawed (e.g. IQ is still the #1 statistical correlation we have of a measured trait and economic outcomes), it means the blog author's paragraph is wrong:

>Most people think that IQ, the ability to memorize, etc., are the key metrics for determining the future of a child. These are what economists call "cognitive skills" and it turns out they are not very good predictors of future success. What are good predictors are what's known as "non-cognitive skills." These are things like persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit, and self-confidence (there are a lot more, too).

[1] book: https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duck...

other writings: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/889/

2. The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman - http://amzn.to/2mXSlFB

3. Strengths Finder by Gallup Press - http://amzn.to/2mqDNuY