As a flurry of bullets spray dirt, like the wake created behind a speedboat, inches to the heels of the already wounded soldier, narrowly missing him, he frantically radios in for backup…

We can easily forget while we’re watching a film that directors and writers have staged the whole damn thing in a warehouse somewhere. If they do it right, we’ll never even consider that. We’ll get lost in the story; total immersion.

Excellence doesn’t always stand out.
It’s not always glamorous, or complex, or flashy.
Elite craftsmanship is often hidden in plain site, or, it’s made to look easy.
Have you ever tried to Mud your own drywall?, or
Bake something cute that you found on Pinterest?
Many of us think, “Gosh, I could do that!”.

Maybe we should try.

It won’t take but a few failed attempts to figure it out. A telltale sign of true excellence is when a person can take an extraordinarily difficult, complex thing, and simplify it—make it look easy.

There’s NOTHING simple about the amount of thoughtful, intentional repetitions that it takes to become excellent at something, no matter how easy it may look.

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“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”

Charles Mingus

Big shouts to my man Caleb Brown, an Art-preneur—painting, and a fellow seeker of excellence, for posting this quote yesterday and prompting me to write on this topic. He’s always motivating me to be the best version of myself. If you’ve seen Caleb’s work or follow his story, you know, he’s committed to craft mastery and to being an inspiration to follow your passions. Check him out:
His accounts: Instagram | Website | Twitter
Here’s a Ted Talk he gave titled “The Triumphant Gift of Adversity”