“….I realized that success is a moment, but what we’re always celebrating is creativity and mastery. But this is the thing: What gets us to convert success into mastery? This is a question I’ve long asked myself. I think it comes when we start to value the gift of a near win.

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Mastery is not just the same as excellence, though. It’s not the same as success,

If  you are thinking “What do I have to do with problems of self control?”, let me ask: How many people here in the last week have procrastinated more than you wish you would? How many people have exercised in the last week
less than you wish you would? Have eaten more than you wish you would? Have had more unprotected sex than you wish you would?

How many of you guys have a lollipop moment, a moment where someone said something or did something that you feel fundamentally made your life better? All right. How many of you have told that person they did it? See, why not? We let people who have made our lives better walk around without knowing it. And every single one of you, every single one of you has been the catalyst for a lollipop moment. You have made someone’s life better by something that you said or that you did, and if you think you haven’t, think about all the hands that didn’t go back up when I asked that question. You’re just one of the people who hasn’t been told.

It can be frightening to think that we can matter that much to other people, because as long as we make leadership something bigger than us, as long as we keep leadership something beyond us, as long as we make it about changing the world, we give ourselves an excuse not to expect it every day from ourselves and from each other.