i recently realized something that is rarer than i initially thought: my drive to endlessly improve the new product i am building.
for a decade of building things in tech, i never appreciated the quality of being driven to make something better. and i just realized how this quality is present in everyone who accomplishes something for themselves or in the world.
athletes have an endless drive to improve their performance.
artists have an endless drive to perfect the piece they are making.
filmmakers have an endless drive to make the stories they tell more powerful, to convey a message.
what they all have in common is an obsession with the thing they are making or the game they are playing.
the important idea is obsession. those people don't need to rely on willpower or discipline all the time. there is something genuine that pulls them toward their work. and this power is something you cannot beat with willpower or discipline.
many young people ask me now: "so when do you know you've found it?"
the unsatisfying answer is that you know when you do.
this deep pull to act, the kind that can easily take over all other parts of your life, is something you cannot fake.
if you haven't found it — don't worry. just start looking. and give up on the idea that a bit more discipline and willpower will get you there. it won't.
the drive to endlessly improve is where your biggest gift for the world lives. use it.