Practice Precedes Excellence. Pressure Reveals Character.

Dear Andre, (2 minute read. Compressing 2 hours of linked material into 2 mins… tips hat you’re welcome.)

There’s this dangerous myth that you need to feel ready before you move.
That you’ll magically become courageous, competent, or passionate once the stars align.

Spoiler alert:
The stars are lazy. They’re not aligning anytime soon.

Practice precedes excellence.
Competence precedes passion.
Courage precedes clarity.

Recently I came across a talk by Dr. Vivienne Ming, who said:

And right after that, she said something else that I immediately wrote down:

These two ideas stopped me cold. (literally, I was in the middle of detailing a minivan)
Because most people die with their best work still inside them.
Not because they lacked talent.
But because they lacked the courage to practice publicly before they were good.

They waited for excellence to magically appear... before they were willing to be seen trying.
(Hint: it doesn't.)

Then I listened to Peter Rahal, founder of RXBar, who said something that I’d never hear anyone else say. But it hit home for me.
“I need pressure, and risk, I need to create. I need to be risk on. I’m a better man with responsibility.”

these things don't destroy you.
They make you better.

You don’t become stronger by avoiding the weight.
You become stronger by picking it up (again and again) until you’re casually curling things that used to crush you.

Pressure isn’t your enemy.
It’s your training ground.

It reveals whether what you say you love... is something you're willing to actually become.

And it all clicked when I watched a video from Alex Hormozi about the necessity of practice.

Alex talked about how he practiced his launch speech 90 times before giving it.
(Yes, 90. Not a typo. He basically became one with the speech.)

Not because he lacked talent.
But because practice is what frees you to be present.

That hit me hard. Because I had a talk coming up on Thursday morning.
So I made a decision:
Over the next two days, I practiced that talk seven times.
Not to memorize it.
Not to be robotic.
But to prepare my mind and body to actually enjoy the room.

And it worked.
I was more relaxed.
More aware of the energy.
More able to connect with people instead of cling to my outline like it was a life raft.

(Also — minor flex — I pulled a little Brendon Burchard:
Right before stepping up to speak, I went outside, did 30 pushups, and walked in with so much energy for this moment.)

It made the entire experience so much more fun.
Not stressful.
Not heavy.
Fun.

Because I was prepared.

It reminded me of something Erwin McManus would sign at the end of every letter for years:

Not “Dream. Plan. Hesitate.”
Not “Dream. Wait. Hope.”
Dream. Risk. Create.

Risk and practice are the real evidence of your dreams.

A Question for You (and for Me):

🌱 What do you say you love... that you aren’t actually practicing? 🌱

If you say you love writing...
Are you writing when no one’s watching?

If you say you love leadership...
Are you showing up for people when it's inconvenient?

If you say you love excellence...
Are you training when no one is applauding?

Hope lives in the gap between who you are and who you’re becoming.
And practice is the bridge across it.

📺 Bonus: Curated Clips That Reset Me

I pulled together a few of the best clips and ideas that helped reset my mindset this week.

How I Built A $600M Protein Bar Company In My Basement | RxBar Founder (Favorite section starts at 42:15)

Dr. Vivienne Ming: Share Your Vision With the World (favorite section starts at 11:00)

Why "Following Your Passion" Will Keep You Broke (The first 5 minutes are my favorite)

well, that’s all for now.

Stay courageous. Stay practicing.

— Daniel