
I don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters.
It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest.
Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no difference at all.
As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man. --- Proverbs 27:17
"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith."
— Henry Ward Beecher
"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all."
— J.K. Rowling
"Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's party!'" - Robin Williams
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mogh/472754929/"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths." — Etty Hillesum
Need to remember this more often.