The enemy of courage

Skill can be the enemy of courage. And courage is the essential doorway to new learning. I’ve noticed that when someone is consistently praised for being highly skilled in a particular area, they often begin to play it safe—protecting their reputation for excellence in the eyes of others. To me, that’s a shame. Because every one of us has the potential to keep growing, if only we remain brave enough.

I value the effort to improve far more than maintaining the same standard. I dislike the phrase “don’t reinvent the wheel.” I don’t believe the wheels on the first horse-drawn cart and the wheels on an F1 car were made with the same methods. Of course, craftsmanship requires an incredible amount of repetition—but repetition without seeking new approaches is no different from standing still.

I don’t think “being the best” really exists. Any record set today can be broken tomorrow. So why not let the one breaking it be you? What matters most isn’t who’s the best or who ranks the highest. The most formidable person is the one who enjoys what they do—because they’ll keep getting better at it without limit.