A Bit of SaaS Weekly: Excellence is a habit

This is a weekly newsletter on the Software as a Service world. Learning, building, and shipping. Written by Ethan Mick.

If you do something 1% better every day, then by the end of the year, you'll be 37.78 times better at that thing. If you start right now, you'll be 5.48 times better by the end of the year.

The Best Bits

• Some examples of people quickly accomplishing ambitious things together.
• GPT-4 API is now generally available.
• Depth-based blur in CSS.
• Excellence is a habit, but so is failure.

Working toward Excellence

Many of us believe that success and excellence are products of inborn talent or sudden bursts of inspiration, but an increasingly popular perspective is that excellence is actually a habit, cultivated over time. Coined by the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, the idea is best encapsulated in his quote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

The most significant aspect of understanding excellence as a habit is acknowledging that it is not a one-time event, but the outcome of consistent actions. This insight shatters the myth of the overnight success and emphasizes the necessity of regular effort. Just as a musician must practice daily to master an instrument, individuals who aspire to excel in any field must commit to consistent, targeted effort.

The concept also underscores the importance of mindset. When we perceive excellence as a habit, we understand that mistakes and failures are not the end of the road but essential steps in the journey. Embracing the idea that excellence is a continuous process allows us to see failure as a learning opportunity, a stepping stone on the path to mastery.

Additionally, the view of excellence as a habit highlights the significance of incremental progress. Many people become overwhelmed when they consider the journey towards a large goal, but breaking it down into small, manageable steps makes the task less daunting. Each small step taken consistently brings one closer to excellence.

Finally, viewing excellence as a habit reinforces the importance of discipline. It is one thing to understand that habits lead to excellence, but implementing those habits requires discipline. It involves making tough choices, prioritizing long-term goals over short-term satisfaction, and staying committed even when progress seems slow.

Recognizing excellence as a habit encourages a shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. It reminds us that achievement is not about having a natural gift, but rather, about cultivating skills and attitudes through consistent practice and sustained effort. It proposes that success is attainable for those willing to embrace failure, prioritize incremental progress, and maintain discipline. Aristotle's wisdom stands as a timeless reminder: excellence is less about the act and more about the habit.

Learn to Build SaaS

I only did one stream this week because I had a vacation planned for the second half of the week. In the stream, we ran through and implemented Stripe subscription billing (~2 hours) and then built teams and an invite mechanism (~1 hour). It was a lot of fun and went well overall!

I think I'll break those out into their own videos since they'll be useful for lots of people.

Cloud Chronicles

• YouTube Subscribers: 1,661  (+75 in the last 7 days)
• Newsletter Members: 382 (+29 in the last 7 days)

This week has been super busy, so I haven't had a chance to write down an update. Not a lot has changed since last week though, so you aren't missing too much!

Last Byte

• A web app to make a quick workout routine.
• How GPT-4 works (maybe).