A few days ago, I watched a documentary named “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”. Jiro is regarded as the best sushi master in the world, winning numerous awards around the world. One of them is Michelin’s 3 stars for his nine seat restaurant. Yes, nine.
He is 85 and works with sushi for more than 70 years. He likes routine, constant improvement and dislikes holidays because it’s the only time he’s not working.
One thing that caught my attention is how self-critical he is. He pushes himself very hard his whole life always trying to learn more and improve his skill. When asked about this, he says he still has so much to learn.
I hold similar views as Jiro. That’s why I’m always fascinated by people who call themselves experts, especially after being in a field for a year or two, or even only a few months. What are they experts of? To master any skill, you need many years of learning and hard work. Reading a book or watching a few online lectures is a good start, but only that.
So, work hard and be humble. Take Jiro’s advice: “Love what you do and immerse yourself completely”.