The hidden power of getting smaller to grow bigger

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Hi, it's Pat!

Have you ever watched someone who's incredibly skilled at what they do and wondered, "How did they get so good?" I used to watch in amazement at people who had mastered their craft — whether it was someone commanding an audience on stage without breaking a sweat, a musician making their instrument sing, or an athlete moving with supernatural grace. I always assumed they had some special gift, that magical "it factor" that set them apart from the rest of us.

But after spending years studying how people actually develop mastery, I discovered something fascinating: The best of the best don't try to get better at everything all at once. Instead, they break down their craft into tiny components and obsess over mastering one element at a time.

When I personally applied micro-mastery to my business and my work as a creator, everything changed — and it can change for you, too. Let’s get unstuck.

QUOTE

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."?

—John Wooden

THE STORY

I’d like to introduce you to my good friend, Ori Bengal. After a failed art show as a young adult, Ori completely abandoned his passion for art for over a decade. But when he finally decided to return to creating, he took a fascinating approach that transformed everything.

Instead of trying to become a "better artist" overall, Ori committed to creating one piece of art every single day, each time focusing on mastering just one tiny element of his craft. If you scroll through his social media, you can actually see his deliberate progression. Some weeks, he'd focus entirely on self-portraits, experimenting with different styles and perspectives. Other times, he'd dedicate himself to mastering a specific brush technique or exploring a particular color palette.

As Ori explained to me, "In order to improve, I'd have to go very small with my focus, like extremely small. You start general, then figure out what the sub-components are, and then figure out which ones are most important. That's what you focus on, and even then, you can break it down even more."

The results? After posting more than four thousand daily pieces, Ori's art has improved dramatically. He's now creating commissioned pieces for celebrities like David Copperfield and William Shatner; he even partnered with Alice Cooper to raise $10,000 for charity with one of his pieces.

This same principle of micro-mastery can transform any skill or endeavor. Take MrBeast, one of YouTube's biggest creators, as an example. While many aspiring YouTubers try to improve everything at once, he's known for spending countless hours perfecting just one aspect — his thumbnail designs. He obsesses over specific elements like color contrast, image sizing, and how thumbnails appear on different devices. This hyper-focused approach has helped him consistently reach millions of viewers within minutes of publishing. In podcasting, I once obsessed, studied, and practiced how to tell better stories. Another time it was focusing on asking the best questions during interviews. In public speaking, I once honed in on exactly what my hands were doing while giving my talk, or where I should be on the stage — one micro-mastery focus at a time.

It’s like back in my band days with my trumpet: I focused on a specific scale for weeks until it became second nature, then moved on to the next. You focus small to grow big, just like muscle targeting in the gym. You don't just "work out" — you focus on specific muscle groups, perfecting form and isolation to build overall strength and achieve the results you want.

The power of micro-mastery lies in its accessibility and sustainability. By focusing on small, incremental changes, you make the process more manageable and less overwhelming. These micro-improvements compound over time, leading to remarkable results that might seem impossible when viewed from the starting line. Most of all,? making this work requires commitment and patience. You’ve got this! So to finish: in the work you’re doing, what’s one focused area within that you can obsess over for the next few weeks? Think about it, commit to it, and conquer it.?

Dad Joke of the Week???

Did you know that 3 out of 10 people are afraid of hurdles?

Most will never get over it.

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