Beyond The Strings
One night a long time ago, while an entire village slept, one light stayed on—Geppetto’s.
While the townspeople slumbered in apathy, he was hard at work on his passion project. His ultimate dream was to have a son, but he didn’t abandon his current responsibilities to chase it. He kept working with excellence on his wood-carving business while building toward his dream.
This is the lesson everyone misses: excellence is always a strategy.
Where You Are Matters
Most people think that to launch into something new, they have to abandon their current position. They think the dream requires burning bridges, quitting jobs, and making dramatic exits.
Rarely is that the case.
The best strategy for the vast majority of people is to continue providing excellent levels of service in their current position. Your current position will most likely provide the platform or opportunity for your dream simply because you continued to work with excellence when you didn’t have the other components.
Geppetto understood this. He worked with excellence on hundreds of clocks and music boxes. Tables overflowing with his handiwork. Walls plastered with intricately designed clocks. He worked because there was work to be done, and in doing so, he was refining his craft so he could ultimately create his dream.
Excellence While Others Sleep
Here’s the application: while others are sleeping—literally or metaphorically—you stay awake being excellent. You work tirelessly on your passion project without neglecting your current responsibilities.
You dream of starting your own business? Great. Do your current job with excellence while you build it on the side.
You want to become an executive? Perfect. Be excellent in your current role while you develop the skills you’ll need.
You want to create new technology? Awesome. Refine your craft where you are while you prototype what’s next.
The road to your dream is paved with excellence in your current position.
The Fairy Only Stops at One House
In Pinocchio, thousands of stars hovered over the sleepy town like beacons of opportunity available to everyone. But the Blue Fairy only stopped at one shop—Geppetto’s. Why? Because he was ready. He had been working with excellence and had his passion project prepared.
Imagine if the fairy arrived and asked where the puppet was, and Geppetto said, “Oh, I was going to work on that, but I was too tired.” He would have missed his miracle.
How many of us make similar excuses? “I was going to start that project, but I was too busy.” “I wanted to work on that, but I don’t know the right people.”
Excellent Work Qualifies You
But even if it’s not your dream—even if it’s not what you want—go and do excellent work. Because excellent work qualifies you for the dream. People want to put opportunity, authority, and responsibility into the hands of someone who will steward them well. The way you prove you can steward something well is by being excellent with what you have now.
Excellence is always a strategy.
Here’s my question for you: What’s one area of your current job where you’ve been giving mediocre effort because “it’s not your dream”? And what would change if you started being excellent there?