Last week, I came across a story that stuck with me:

Two older gentlemen walk into an art gallery and, over coffee, get into a conversation about what makes “great art.”

The walls are covered in art.  An abstract landscape, a realism portrait, something that looks like a child got hold of a paint can and went to town.

The first gentleman argues that great art should be intuitive to all.

The second stops him with a quote I haven’t been able to shake:

“For any art to be good, truly good, there must be love in it. There must be love for the gift itself, love for the subject being depicted, for the story being told, or a love for the audience*.”

We all have jobs.

But inside every job is a craft. An art.

I saw this firsthand calling on orthodontists. The ones who loved what they did were always the ones excelling at it. Not the ones chasing "production” or “starts.”

The same is true in sales.

The professionals who stood apart put the craft first… commissions second.

The difference wasn’t talent.

It was intention.

So whatever you’re working on right now, resist the urge to ask “Is this going to make me rich or will people like it?” first.

Ask instead: how much of yourself did you actually put into it?

I’ve come to believe we fail not at achievement at work.

But at alignment.

This month, I’m working hard to launch my second book, The Sales Ascent.  It’s a book I’m absolutely positive I’ve put all my love and energy into.    

This book has been 4+ years in the making, and encompasses everything I’ve learned working in sales.

My previous book, The Peak Orthodontic Practice, was a passion project for the career I was working in, the people I met, and the family industry I grew up in.

This book is a passion project for a craft that’s taken everything to get across the finish line - through success, through failure, through job loss, through intense doubt, and with a fierce dedication to see it through.

It needs to exist because I love the art.

Until then -

Put in your all this week.

^{*Quote and story taken from Levi, Allen. Theo of Golden: A Novel. Atria Books, 2025. Our mission is to help industry professionals achieve their peak by delivering content and strategies they need to grow, perform, and make a difference in their lives. Connect by emailing us at [email protected] or subscribe.}