In the last couple of weeks we have begun the NBA Playoffs. It’s a time when most of the sports world, and all of the sports nerds like me, can be found trying to suss out who’s up and who’s down, whose injuries will hurt their team’s chances and whose won’t. Can the Lakers survive their injury woes? Can the Net’s “big three” bring home the trophy in their first season together?

In a coin-operated world that conditions us to sacrifice our passions in order to earn a decent wage, it’s refreshing to see someone truly love their job. The deeper you dig the more obvious it is that “love of the game” is a consistent theme of the true Great Ones. Cue up the familiar Quote from that all-Star first baseman Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” When your craft is something you enjoy, it motivates you to prepare harder and excel longer.