Higher, Faster, Stronger

We live in a culture that worships progress at all costs.

The motto of the modern Olympics- Higher, Faster, Stronger, has bled into every corner of our lives. Business. Social media. Even our personal brand. The unspoken rule is:

• Every product has to be better than the last.

• Every post has to get more likes than the one before.

• Every achievement has to top your previous win.

Reality Check: This mindset isn’t growth. It’s a trap.

The Apple Example

Apple is a perfect case study.

Apple set the standard so high that every new iPhone is judged against the myth of “Revolution.” Once they set the bar with the iPhone, the world conditioned itself to expect revolution every year. But how do you revolutionize the same product endlessly?

That’s the trap: when everything has to be better, faster, stronger, you lose the freedom to simply build and create. You don’t have to play that game. You can make something because it matters to you and those are often the projects that bring the most genuine growth, the kind that builds a business rooted in purpose, not pressure.

So now, every “incremental improvement” feels like a disappointment, not because the product is bad, but because the expectation is unsustainably high.

The same happens to people.

Social Media & The Comparison Spiral

Social media amplifies this trap.

• You post a photo that gets 500 likes.

• The next one only gets 120.
  Suddenly, you feel like you failed.

Did you really fail?
Or are you measuring yourself against a moving, invisible target?

Worse, you start comparing yourself to your peers. They bought a house. Got 10K followers. Landed a new job. And now your last accomplishment, something you were once proud of, feels small.

This isn’t reality.
It’s the illusion of “better, faster, stronger” applied to human worth.

Breaking the Cycle

Not everything has to be bigger than the last thing you did.

• A writer can create a piece that no one reads and it can still matter.

• An entrepreneur can launch a product that doesn’t “beat last quarter” and it can still be meaningful.

• You can post a thought on social media that gets zero likes and it can still be true.

The win isn’t always in the metrics.
Sometimes the win is in the making.

Not everything has to be bigger than the last thing you did.
Not every move has to outshine the one before.

The real work is about direction, alignment, and clarity not endless comparison.

This is exactly why I created the Clarity Chart.

It’s built on four pillars:

• Time ⏳ – How much consistent focus you’re giving your work.

• Skill 🎯 – How well you’re developing and applying your craft.

• Idea 💡 – The originality and clarity of the concept itself.

• Execution ⚡ – How effectively you bring the idea into reality.

Instead of chasing “better, faster, stronger,” the Clarity Chart gives you a compass.
It helps you see where you’re balanced and where you’re out of alignment.

The goal isn’t to max out one corner.
The goal is to move toward the center. That’s where clarity lives.

The Reminder

Don’t fall for the trap.

• You don’t need to monetize every idea.

• You don’t need to outdo every past creation.

• You don’t need to compare your journey to someone else’s highlight reel.

Your creativity isn’t the Olympics.
It’s not about higher, faster, stronger.
It’s about being authentic, deeper, realer.

And sometimes, creating for yourself is the biggest victory of all.

Thanks for reading and letting me share these thoughts with you. I hope this reminder gives you permission to slow down and find clarity in your own work.

Until next time,
Rodrigo

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