Work like a pro. Train like a rookie.

Continuing from yesterday, let’s look at what it means to be a beginner in your field. Because it’s easy to get caught in the momentum of your activity and absorb the false belief that reapproaching something as a beginner is taking a step backward.

The greats in their field of operation — the ones we admire with a mix of respect and awe — share at least one thing in common: they value the simple practice of stepping back to square one to reevaluate their craft as a novice and learn skills as a beginner.

The best are real students, almost every single time. The average are fake students or avoid it altogether. It’s a defining characteristic and a continuous thread through all of history. Yes, the best put in work on the more complex factors of advanced application, but more importantly they sweat the overlooked simple factors of basic execution that everyone else ignores because they think it’s only for rookies.

Embrace the chase. Do the work.