Because trying to be brilliant takes the focus away from trying to be good. And being good is where you start. Being good means you know your job and you can consistently get it done.
We focus too much on the next step or the promo or the greener grass. And we miss the obvious part of doing our our own work really well. Big ideas are great and easy to market, but change is made in small subtle increments that happen day to day. Over time they accumulate to something significant. We are too impatient.
There are brilliant ideas and brilliant people and that’s great. But there is humility and honesty in being really good. It’s natural to want awards and recognition and to compare yourself to others. To be the star. But too much focus on these externalities isn’t always healthy. And sometimes the lack of awards and recognition or trying to equate ourselves to others gives us a more negative impression of our worth. Our work becomes less valuable under our own harsh criticism. We never measure up and it further stalls the good work we are capable of doing.
How do we measure good? Are you doing your work consistently? Are you hitting your goals? Are you helping others along the way? Can you be relied upon? Do you show up?
Really good is the foundation of sustainability. It’s when we try artificially to be brilliant that we burn up and burn out. Brilliance is enviable but it’s often a momentary flash and then it’s gone.
Worry less about being brilliant. Be really really good. That’s what excellence is built on.
