the best people in any job are not sexy. the act of doing good work is almost never sexy, even when your job is to be sexy.
professional athletes aren’t great because they practice really hard sometimes. more simply, they just showed up when their competition wouldn’t.
the greatest pianists practice for hours on days on months on years for their whole life. countless hours and sacrifice that many of us can barely understand.
your best friends aren’t the ones that show up for you in the biggest way, but they’re the ones that show up the most often.
of course, in the context of chasing ultimate performance, this is common motivational knowledge. but more holistically, this sends the message that our positions in life are not determined by our highs and lows, but rather our day to day decisions.
the best designers don’t make great decisions sometimes. they make good ones, even okay ones, every time. your best friends aren’t the ones that have traveled with you the most, fucked up the least, nor stuck with you through the toughest times. they’re simply the ones that show up for you the most often, in the smallest of ways.
the hallmark of a strong marriage has nothing to do with how well they celebrate their anniversary, but has everything to do with how content they are every day.
nobody has ever tried pretending they are the greatest student because they got the highest mark in the class once.
thus, when evaluating anything about yourself, focus on your average experience, not the highs and lows. a failed course doesn’t mean it’s time to drop the program. a bad fight isn’t a reason to break up, and a terrific date isn’t a reason to get married. winning a single bet doesn’t mean it’s time to all in on the next hand of blackjack. you’re not the GOAT for winning once, but you’re not a failure for falling flat a couple times.
social media exemplifies impostor syndrome, because people only post the peaks of their lives. you can’t see anybody’s average, so comparison of any kind is futile. focus on uplifting your average, and you’ll find that the highs you used to chase and the lows you try to avoid will present themselves to you anyways.