Double down on what is working best. - James Clear

Everything is an oversimplification. Reality is messy and complex.

The question is whether it is a useful simplification.

Know the limitations of an idea and you can apply it to great effect—despite the messiness of reality.

I'm not the best writer, but it is a strength. I might be a 90th percentile writer.

And I'm not the best marketer, but it is a strength. Again, maybe 90th percentile? I'm better than most, but if you pass 100 people on the street it won't be hard to find some people better than me.

What I have gradually learned is that it is not your strengths, but your combination of strengths that sets you apart. It is the fact that writing and marketing are mutually reinforcing—and that I enjoy both—that leads to great results.

How can you combine your strengths? That's something I would encourage everyone to think about. You will find talented people in every area of life. It's the combinations that are rare.

Why is improvement hard?

Part of the issue is everyone wants to improve, but nobody wants to destroy. Change often requires destruction. Or, at least, unlearning.

Let's call it gentle elimination. You may have to leave little habits, update current beliefs, eliminate comfortable patterns. When you want better outcomes, your daily norms may need to change. The process of improvement is not just about adding things you like.

Sometimes habits and patterns belong to who you were, not who you are trying to be. If you'd like something better, then a routine you are comfortable with may have to die.