For the 100

I was thinking back to a conversation I had in high school with one of my best friends, Aakash.

We were talking about the results of a recent test. Aakash had done exceptionally well and got a perfect score, and I asked him about his approach: How did you do it?

And I still remember his response: I studied for the 100. It felt straightforward at the time, but I realized what it meant over the years. He didn’t study to get the basics down. Or even enough to get a 90 and call it a day.

He put in the ultimate preparation. No stone unturned. The extra rigor and effort to cover all his bases. The output could have turned out differently, but he mastered his input to put himself in a place to succeed.

A great lesson back then on locus of control — we can influence our destiny. And it later led me to appreciate one of my favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln:

”I will prepare, and someday my chance will come.”