How Do We Get Better?
We practice.
There is no other way to improve our skills, knowledge, or patience. We must take the time to do the things we want to improve at—every single day.
With consistent practice, improvement is inevitable. Effort doesn’t determine if we get better—it determines how fast we do.
Consistency Over Intensity
If we train for a marathon by only walking, we will progress more slowly than if we train by running—even if both are done consistently.
But alternating between the two creates better results than inconsistent running alone.
Because in the end, it’s not about perfection—it’s about the habit of showing up and doing the work.
Small actions, repeated daily, build momentum. And over time, they become easier.
As Zeno of Citium, founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, said:
“Well-being is realized in small steps, but it is truly no small thing.”
The Cycle of Growth
When you start with something difficult and work at it every day, it eventually becomes easier.
Then comes the next step: choosing something harder. And suddenly, it feels difficult again.
This is where most people stop.
They reflect on their decisions and begin to question whether they should continue or quit. We hesitate because we expect things to get easier permanently—but growth doesn’t work that way.
Improvement is a cycle: hard things become easy, and then we choose new hard things if we want to keep moving forward.
Adopt the Beginner’s Mindset
Each time we move to a more difficult level, we must adopt a beginner’s mindset.
Nothing feels easy when it’s new.
Let go of the need to feel like an expert. Because in truth, no one ever fully is—there is always something more to learn.
Return to the Basics When Needed
If you find yourself at a standstill, it may be because you’ve moved too far from the basics.
Return to your foundation. Strengthen it.
Make learning a habit—and growth will follow.
You Are Your Habits
As Will Durant, in his study of Aristotle, wrote:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Your habits shape your actions. Your actions shape your results.
And your results shape who you become.
Take care.