Excellence is temporary

Take every opportunity to get better at what you do.

I was talking to my team about how the best people I’ve seen at the top of their craft are always getting better, in the most unexpected ways.

A designer finds himself visiting museums, talking to painters, and reading about architecture. It’s not about spending all your time on Figma. It’s about getting better at having taste, outside of work.

A software developer finds himself training to type how many words per minute he can, learning about psychology, understanding chemical reactions, and playing a team sport. It’s about getting better, not programming more in front of the IDE, but doing unrelated activities to sharpen the complementary skills that make you phenomenal.

A CEO, finds himself talking to strangers in different industries, countries, learning about other businesses, getting out of his head and being present, in the moment, connecting with the inner intuition needed to make decisions with incomplete information.

The best seize every opportunity to practice the exercise of excellence. Every performance is the performance. Going to the gym, even when they don’t feel like it. Training harder than the actual work they perform, so it goes more easily.

This act of constant refinement can be uncomfortable and tiring, especially at first, yet something powerful happens if you stick with it. You get way better than the rest and perform at your best effortlessly.

Do not expect to get better just by working. Doing the work is not enough to achieve greatness. It’s necessary to do the crazy things few people do. This is why those who love what they do go far beyond.