Re-reading the next day, I have a couple words of warning.
* Developing this mindset can lead to obsessive-compulsiveness and perfectionism. Other people will think you're crazy for putting so much 'unnecessary' effort into things. They will think you're fussy. But often those two things are good tools, because you can accomplish what no one else has the patience for. Where there's muck, there's brass.
But sometimes they will be exactly what's blocking you. If you expect yourself to always whip out a perfect job the first time, you only set yourself up for massive frustration.
Let yourself do a poor job first, then refine, refine, refine. No one has to know what a steaming mess you started with. It's the end result that matters. I never wrote a single essay I didn't go over at least a dozen times as a matter of course.
* You will develop a great eye for detail as a matter of course. You will see muck (opportunities for improvement) everywhere. When you mention them, people will confuse it with criticism. But there's a difference between having a critical eye and a critic's eye. Don't let it be a negative thing. Finding a problem is a good thing, because it is an opportunity. You can't fix what you don't know.
You can be happy with something and still recognize that it has flaws. You have to. Nothing is perfect.
* If you try to take my words or anyone's words as a checklist to success, it's not going to work. That's like the guy who sits in back scribbling formulas to memorize. You need to understand how it works, first. Know it so well you can re-derive the core parts from your own experiences.
Different situations require different strategies. You don't have an invigorating face-to-face discussion the same way you write an invigorating essay. Nor do you learn how to do each in the same way.
It might all just come down to acting on a desire to be your best right here and right now, and not settling for less. Be willing to start with baby-steps.
I guess that's how you get good at anything.
-- Daniel
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