The pursuit of excellence

Day 205 / 366

It is important in life to know what is it that you are aiming for. What is your goal? Your passion?

What keeps you up at night?

What gives you a reason to get up early in the morning?

The answer for me is simple. I want to keep improving until I become the best in the world at what I do.

It is strange how you can find inspiration from the simplest of things. I started my company last year after I read a fictional Murakami novel. Earlier this year I was inspired to get an office after watching a TV series called “The Bear”, which follows the struggles of a young chef trying to run a restaurant that is falling apart.

It’s been 3 months since I started the office. And with time as things got harder, I noticed that the inspiration slowly died down. Lately, I had been just going through the motions, not thinking so much about the bigger picture. I was focusing on getting done with the day's work. I was complaining a lot and making excuses.

And I could see this happening with the rest of the team as well. I have been worried about this for a while now, why is it that I am not able to get them to focus on the right things, like productivity, accuracy, and accountability? When in hindsight, the answer is simple. A leader has to lead by example. If I complain and make excuses, then they have every right to do so as well.

Cut to today, I watched the new episode of “The Bear”, and I was instantly transported back to 3 months back. I remembered the vision I had for my company, that it will strive for excellence. Our unique selling point will be that we do things perfectly, better than anyone else. And I need to keep working on that till we get there.

The pursuit of excellence. That is the only justification I need for all the late nights and early mornings.