Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

My commute to work takes 40 minutes to a little over an hour each day.  In hindsight, picking a work location that is equidistant between two major arteries in Atlanta was probably not the right choice.  The fastest way for me to get to work is straight North from my house through a number of lights littered with cars that simulate the Office Space scene of Peter Gibbons switching lanes trying to get to work.  In an attempt to learn something along the drive, I've loaded my phone with audio books and podcasts.  One podcast that I've become addicted to is Tim Ferris's which can be found here .  Fast forward to the point of this post which is that I listened to Tim's interview with B.J. Novak , one of the producers of The Office and more importantly, the author of one of my favorite books, The Book With No Pictures.    In addition to being a successful writer, Novak also helped create an app called The List App. As a recovering management c...

At the recommendation of Tim Ferris and Ramit Sethi , I read The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.  It's a great book that demonstrates how a simple thing like a checklist can save lives and automate routines so that you can focus on the stuff that matters.  Though the book may be about checklists, Dr. Gawande also manages to work in a definition of professionalism that will resonate with many of you.  Professionalism is a code of conduct defined through a few expectations: Expectation of selflessness - Are you looking out for others or looking out for yourself?  Expectation of skill - Are you doing everything possible to become a master of your craft? Are you staying on top of trends? Are you looking at the skills that it takes to be the best in your field and honing those skills on a continual basis?  Expectation of trustworthiness - Do you do what you say? Is your word bond? Do you make a promise and make good on that promise?  He g...