But you probably don't whine about not being that muscled, just like your friend doesn't mind knowing just one language. Tynan's example is about someone who wants more money but can't save it. If he doesn't 'enjoy' saving money, it will feel as sacrifice. Do you think he's just choosing the wrong goal in that case?
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I would like to have a better physique but hate most physical exercise unfortunately. I don't think that one's goals and one's natural abilities/inclinations/interests always line up, although sometimes they do. To some extent I think it's futile to try and become excellent at something you hate doing. And I think that it's dubious to look at people who are excellent at something they (mostly) love doing and focus on how much they have sacrificed and that you can become like them if only if you sacrifice more, even if you hate doing it. But of course, some effort and grit is necessary to get anywhere. It's not black and white. I just wonder if the perspective in this article underplays the role of interests and personality traits behind success in a given area.
For example, Tynan writes "Look at the people who get the best results in the gym (not me, if we’re being honest). They sacrifice that cookie or bread when they really want to eat it, and they go to the gym when they’re tired and really don’t feel like it.". But my experience is that these people love going to the gym most of the time, even if they also need some measure of discipline. From the outside a lot of success looks like hard sacrifice, but the most successful people tend to love what they do. (There are some interesting counter examples to this, for example Andre Agassi who according to his autobiography hates tennis and always hated it)