Malcolm Mitchell had it all—speed, strength, and the talent to make it to the NFL. He played for the New England Patriots, won a Super Bowl, and caught passes from Tom Brady. Football was his gift. But his greatest achievement had nothing to do with touchdowns.

When Malcolm got to college, he didn’t know how to read above a middle school level. He could memorize football plays and dissect defenses, but books were a different challenge. Determined, he worked at it. He practiced. He joined a women’s reading group. He studied. And after years of effort, he became an avid reader, author, and poet.

At the end of a recent interview I heard, the journalist asked Malcolm what he was most proud of—his touchdowns, his Super Bowl ring? Malcolm didn’t hesitate. He said, “I just finished reading The Hunger Games series in two days.”

The journalist was shocked. “But what about the Super Bowl?”

Malcolm replied, “Football was easy. That was a gift. Learning to read was hard.”

Wow.

Maybe running is your gift. If you’re like me, it takes effort. But there’s something rewarding about improving at something that doesn’t come naturally. The miles, the workouts, the discipline—it’s all part of the process. And in that work, we find joy.