Good Work, Progress, and the Myth of the Finish Line


// Building Works
At Yammayap, we're going through something - Rich (the owner) has bought a commercial property and for the first time, the company will have it's own permanent home, an office which will be decked out in the right way and thought about - somewhere for expansion (and for fun). But interestingly, it's been hectic and 'different' over the last few weeks. There is a ton of building works going on - the building has literally been stripped back to it's bare walls, all the flooring has been taken up and almost every lighting circuit in the building has been ripped out to start afresh.
The work has been nothing short of comprehensive.
I'm sure I speak for the rest of the Yammayap team (and Rich) when I say that we all didn't think we would go this far when we set out on this renovation journey - I'm genuinely excited about the next few weeks as the building is starting to come together and the changes are just immense - we've even started picking out paints for the new walls (which, in some cases have been stripped back to brickwork for a full plaster.
// The Niggle
The thing is, as I mentioned, when we started I didn't really think the building works would be this extensive and when I thought it would be a lick of paint here, a new carpet there and maybe a new ceiling in the main development room, I got my father in law along to check it out so we could 'get a price' for some works.
Now, my father in law runs his building company in the way he is comfortable and by no means does he struggle for work - he is a success in any metric that you frame it because he's busy, he earns good money and he is comfortable in his lifestyle. What would any other business owner want?
Except we didn't use my father in law (mainly because of the amount of work needed doing amongst other things) and it caused me to think about things. My father in law, Jon, is good - he can paint, plaster, fit showers, do plumbing work - he built the extension on the house that I'm typing this blog in yet, we didn't use him for this job.
The builder we're using - Tim - is great, he and his team been working their nuts off over the last few weeks and as I say, the building is completely different. The co-ordination of the decorating, the stripping out, the electrical works, the fire alarm systems, the ceiling being re-hung and the woodwork has been nothing short of incredible - I cannot stop saying that there has been so much work completed in the last few weeks.
Now, could Jon have done what Tim did? Maybe?
Would the project have moved at the same pace that it has, in all honesty, probably not. Because the levels are different - Jon is working on smaller (still large in scale) projects but he deals with projects which have a single need - fit this shower, build this extension, decorate these walls and Tim is dealing with a construction project which has to be delivered on time and with multiple moving parts.
// The Point
Why are you telling me this? Without labouring the point - Jon is successful and so is Tim - but they're doing it on their own terms and in their own ways.
There are multiple examples of what I'm telling you - in the 2012 Olympics - in the 10,000m final, Mo Farah started the final lap of the race in or around 2nd place. Everyone else had been training in that race to win - but Mo knew that he didn't need to be the frontrunner, he didn't need to 'win' by sprinting faster because he was able to make his move when the time was right. He started his sprint on the back straight, very early but he knew his skillset and he knew what he was capable of.
Whenever I've ever run a race (and I used to run Triathlons when I served in the Army) - I would always try to set out fast, build a lead and then try my hardest to hold onto it - except I never did because I'd always set out too fast.
The point is that Mo had his place - he didn't have to follow someone elses path because he was carving out his unique place in the world and you can do the same using your skills and purpose as your compass.
// Why Comparison is the Enemy of Growth
We live in a world fuelled by constant comparison. I do it, daily.
Social media, career ladders, and casual conversations, hearing about people's wins (not often you hear about the losses) - it leaves me measuring everything against others.
But you know what I'm going to say, because it's repeated everywhere: comparison is a thief - it steals joy, motivation, and clarity and when you’re too busy looking at someone else’s journey, you lose sight of your own destination. Mo didn't look at the others in the pack during his race and wonder if they were better than him, he just ran his own race and didn't worry about the others. Jon doesn't look at Tim (or vice versa) as they both do similar (good) work and they both run their own races (successfully).
Think of it this way, no two people have the same starting line, resources, or experiences so no two people can be alike.
What works for me may not work for anyone else. Whenever I've ever tried to replicate someone else’s path it's not only limited my potential but also diminished my authenticity. Instead of striving to be like others, the real growth begins when you embrace what makes you, you.
Your quirks, your skills, your perspective - these are your strengths.
// The Power of Good Enough
Hopefully, sharing the analogy of Jon and Tim, the idea that you have to be the best to succeed can slide from your mind (I know it won't but I want you to believe it).
Because you know it and I know it, you don’t have to be the best; you just have to be good enough for the right audience.
The key is to find your tribe - the people who resonate with your message, your product, or your service. For them, you don’t need to be flawless; you need to be relatable, trustworthy, and authentic. When you focus on serving your audience rather than impressing the masses, you’ll find that being “good enough” is more than enough to create real impact.
Jon, Tim, Mo Farah and anyone else you can think of who run their own path - they all believe in themselves and deliver good work. They are not competing on anyone else's level, other than their own. They care about the work they deliver, the unique value that they bring and actually, they still might not be the 'finished' article - they might not deliver everything perfectly.
The notion of perfection is a weird one because I've spoken before about the fact that I've stopped myself creating because I've been paralysed by the fear of not achieving perfection but when I do 'create' - people like it and they see the good work that I'm doing as a benchmark. I look at others sometimes and wonder why I'm not achieving that level but when I sit and think about it, I produce better work than I did 5 years ago because I chose to continue to create.
The notion of perfection is an illusion designed to keep you stuck at the level you're at. Taking action, however small, means you're improving every day and being those one or two steps ahead of the people around you means you're still offering value.
// The Ramble
I feel like this blog has jumped around a little bit and I want to try and sum up my thoughts so you get my point - I don't like re-writing anything, I'd rather just write what comes out and then try to make sense of it.
Over the last few weeks and months (and probably years) - I've been reminded of the fact that good work is what gets us to a place of success and what that success looks like is different to everyone. It doesn't matter if that success looks like a big house in Sandbanks or if it means just settling down on a Friday night with a box set and a takeaway - it looks different for everyone and the best way I could describe that 'success' was to highlight the difference between two 'successful' people.
Jon (my father in law) and Tim (the builder at Yammayap) are two people who do very similar things but they do those very similar things in completely different ways - but that doesn't make them any less successful because they've found their place and they run their own race.
When you set out to do something, whether that's a podcast or a vlog, you will always find that someone is doing it better than you - my favourite podcasts however is not Joe Rogan and nor is it Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO so in any other metric other than being top of the charts, you could class my favourite podcast as a failure - but it's not.
I am as bad as any other person when it comes to comparisons because I look at my video work and want it (I literally will it) to be as amazing as Casey Neistats, I look at my writing and want it to be as compelling as Mark Masters or Mark Schaefers writing and then I look at my own career and I want to run my own business - my career is far from being a failure though.
Comparison, aspirations or dreams - these are all words to describe the same thing - we all want to be better and we think that by being 'better' we'll all be more successful and we'll move onto the next level.
The thing is - we're already at a better level than we were and whilst we might be behind some people, we're definitely ahead of others - it all depends on the metric you're using to compare yourself and even then, it's subjective.
// The Finish Line
The truth is, there is no single finish line - we all have our own. Success is not a one-size-fits-all formula, and chasing someone else’s idea of it is a race you’ll never win.
The important thing is to stop running someone else’s race and focus on your own. Whether you're Jon, Tim, Mo Farah, or just someone trying to figure out your next move, the only metric that truly matters is progress - your progress. It's about showing up, doing the work, and taking pride in what you create.
Because at the end of the day, success isn’t about being at the top; it’s about moving forward, in your way, on your terms, and for the reasons that matter to you. That’s how you build something meaningful - not just a building or a business, but a life that feels right for you.
So take a deep breath, pick up the metaphorical paintbrush, and keep creating.
You’re already further ahead than you think.