I’m Work In Progress

In the movie, A Bronx Tale, Colagero (Deniro’s character’s son) laments, “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever.” I don’t have many talents. If this were the movie Rudy, you’d hear the janitor saying to me, “Adam, your 5 foot nothing, a 100 and nothing, without a shroud of athletic ability…”

There’s really only one talent I have and unfortunately it’s not the ability to fly. No, my talent is the insane ability to quickly absorb and subsequently process mass amounts of information. On a given day, I read anywhere from 5,000 – 7,000 tweets and 100 – 150 posts/articles. All those links I share via twtter are all things I’m reading or read. It’s not just the reading though. Lots of people can speed read. But, for whatever reason, I can digest the info and almost at the same time begin thinking about how to apply it to some challenge. Why this is, I have no idea. But, I’m thankful every day that I can do it. I know, it’s a lame talent, but it’s what I was given.

I’m not perfect. I’m not even in perfect’s shadow. I’m not an expert either. In fact, on my best day, I’m insanely frustrated with myself for not being better. It’s the thought that I can’t be flawless and yet the industry, my clients, my team, and I expect it that keeps me on a relentless pursuit to be better.

Every day you see me, talk to me, trade a tweet with me – I’m work in progress. Hopefully, I’m better on that day than I was the day before. In our industry we hate sharing work in progress. After all work in progress isn’t perfect. It isn’t ready to be shared. It can be unfairly critiqued because it’s not the final perfect product.

Me, I like the feedback. I like being judged. It makes me hungrier. I take the feedback, process it, and figure out how I can use it to make be better. I’m trying not to waste my talent.

Yes, I’m work in progress. Beta, really…and I’m ok with that. It means I haven’t reached my ceiling. It means I can still be better. So you tell me – how can I get better?