What’s the One Habit That Quietly Separates the Best from the Rest?

A few years ago, I was in an interview and asked the CEO, “What learning opportunities will I have here?”
His response: “You’re here to contribute, not to learn.” 🤷‍♂️

That stuck with me.

He wasn’t entirely wrong—companies hire people to create value. But I also believe this:
💡 Learning is how you stay valuable.

It’s not something you outgrow. It doesn’t end after school, or once you get a job, or even when you’re leading a team. If anything, it becomes more important the further you go. 🚀

Learning is everywhere

✅ You learn when you read a book.
👂 You learn when you listen to someone.

Unless you're listening to someone explain NFTs back in 2021. In that case, you mostly learn how to nod politely and pretend to understand. 😅

✍️ You learn when you write.
🧠 You learn even while explaining something you already “know.”

I’m learning while writing this. 🤓

Some of the best learning happens when you least expect it. I have a friend I speak with regularly—we talk about everything: business, psychology, history, marketing. Even when it’s a topic I think I know well, I always walk away with something new.

Sometimes I nod like I get it, only to Google it later under the table. It still counts as learning. 📱🔍

It’s why people say:
🎓 If you want to master something, teach it.

The first time I explained NPS to someone, I ended up understanding it better myself. The second time, I added diagrams. The third time—I started sounding like I invented it. 😄

Why learning matters in marketing

As a marketing leader, I’ve seen how fast the space evolves.
📱 Platforms change. 🧭 Buyer behavior shifts. 🧰 Tools come and go.

The only tool that’s stayed constant is Excel. And even that manages to surprise me with a formula error I didn’t know existed. 😵‍💫

If you stop learning, you fall behind. ⏳

Every high-performing marketer I know has one thing in common:
✅ They learn fast and often.
🧪 They test.
🗣 They talk to others.
🔁 They adapt.
🕵️ They stay curious.

If you want to stay relevant in marketing—or in any field—you need to keep your learning muscle active. 💪

Learning is your edge

No matter where you are in your career—entry-level, manager, or even leading a company—learning is your edge. 🧗‍♀️

🧩 It keeps you relevant.
📈 It helps you grow.
💬 It builds your confidence.

Some people think asking questions makes them look weak. But I believe the opposite:
❓ Asking questions shows you're hungry, aware, and willing to grow.

What learning really means

It doesn’t only mean courses or certifications. 🎓
It doesn’t only mean spending hours on YouTube or reading a book a week. 📚

It also means showing up every day with the mindset that there’s always more to know. 🌱

Learning doesn’t slow you down. It keeps you in the game. 🎮

The moment we think “I’ve learned enough” is the moment we start falling behind. ⏬

📝 Final Thoughts

A few times, people—especially those new to marketing—ask me,
“You seem confident. How did you grow so quickly in marketing?” 🤔

And I wish I had a cool answer. Something like:
“I cracked the algorithm,” or “I took a secret masterclass from a monk who sold his Ferrari.” 🧘‍♂️💻

But honestly? My answer is boring:
📌 I just kept learning. Constantly. Obsessively. Sometimes even unnecessarily.

I once spent two hours analyzing why a local mithai shop’s Instagram page was getting more engagement than some D2C brands.
Did it help my next campaign? Not really.
Did I end up craving kaju katli for two days? Absolutely. 😋

When I started, I didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t even know what most of the tools did. But I asked a lot of questions. I tried things. I failed. I took notes. I read boring blogs. 🧾

And most importantly—I never stopped learning. 🔄

It’s not flashy. It’s not viral. But it works. ✅

So here’s my completely un-sexy but very real advice:
🧠 Keep learning. Talk to people. Ask dumb questions. Laugh at your own slides. Say yes to tasks you’re slightly scared of.

And when things go wrong, just say, “It’s part of the learning curve” and move on. 😅

Because in the end, the people who keep learning are the ones who stay sharp, stay useful, and stay in the game. 🎯

And hey—if all else fails, just blame Mercury retrograde. 🪐
It sounds smarter than blaming the algorithm. 🤷‍♂️