We love comfort. We love the upscale practice rooms, immaculate dressing rooms, fluffy towels and oak-paneled private offices.
But this is bad, because luxury is a motivational drug that subconsciously inspires us that it is no longer necessary to make an effort. They whisper to us: relax, you deserve it. Real "talent forges" are not luxurious. Rather, everything is exactly the opposite. The best music camps (and even those that can afford much more) are practically in shacks.
The North Baltimore Watersports Club, which has raised Michael Phelps and four other Olympic medalists, looks like an impoverished hostel. The classrooms of the world's best schools in South Korea and Finland, which consistently rank high in the International Student Assessment Program!, look like they haven't been refurbished since the 1950s.
It's not about morality, but about neurons - a simple, modest environment helps to focus on complex exercises, on persistent and persistent attempts to solve a problem. If you have a choice between spartan conditions and luxury, choose the first: your subconscious mind will thank you!