Off To Meet The Wizards
AI art by Midjourney
You can only conceive of the level of excellence you have seen.
So…
Go meet your heroes.
To continuously improve as an investor and operator, I’ve been privately meeting exemplars in both crafts.
This week I’ve spent time with two different Wizards, both examples of excellence in their domains. To see, hear, and watch firsthand opened my range of what I considered possible, practical, or even acceptable standards.
Every time this happens, I feel myself stretching. The mental fish tank expands. Not just vague ambition, those greater things suddenly feel more possible, natural, and even expected.
So I ask you, what does “excellent” look like in your field?
How do you know THAT is as good as it gets?
This is trickier than it sounds, especially in fragmented, private, unquantifiable games.
What if you think you’re running some of the fastest miles in the world and going 7 minutes flat… yet somewhere in your field, someone is quietly running a mile in 3:58.
Try to get an up-close look anywhere you think might have the highest standard of performance in your field.
The internet helps with this, and you can get a lot of exposure to (some) people through podcasts or reading. But it pays to seek them out in person as well.
Why?
Because as soon as something is going to be public or permanent, people close up a bit. They change. They try to impress rather than inform. Or their advice becomes too general.
This is not to say people are disingenuous… only that they are careful. The Observer Effect is not to be ignored.
There are also many living legends who, personally or professionally do not benefit from being public about their success. You won’t see them on podcasts, stages, or writing newsletters.
But if you ask the right people the right series of questions… you might find yourself in the room with them.
The stretch that experience gives you will pay dividends for many lifetimes.