Prime (noun)
the state or time of greatest vigour or success in a person’s life.

Hi, I’m Jason. This is where I share openly about the challenges, insights and lessons from my own journey. My hope is that these thoughts spark reflections that help you navigate your own path to living better and leading better. 

Jason Leavy
Founder

Prime Perspective:
Reflections on Leadership and Growth

"Let me tell you something… I've been in this Canoe Club for almost thirty years. Sooner or later, we all have to do things we don't want to do. But if you're going to do it, then do it right."

- US Navy Seal Officer

We live in an age that's obsessed with capturing the highlight reel version of life - the job promotion, the sporting achievement, the cool holiday. 

My provocation is that if you truly want to reach your prime, you need to understand that how you show up daily is far more important than getting fixated on those rare moments.  

That opening quote is from a recollection shared by William H. McRaven, a retired United States Navy four-star admiral, best known for commanding the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014 and for orchestrating the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The context was that early in his career McRaven had been called in to see his commanding officer and was hoping to receive a promotion. Instead, he was tasked with the menial job of building a "Frog Float" for an upcoming Fourth of July celebration.

You can imagine McRaven’s disappointment and I think all of us can understand why he was tempted to just go through the motions with his efforts on the float. However the timely advice he received from that SEAL officer changed his mindset and instead he decided to focus on making the best float he possibly could.

The life lesson for all of us? McRaven realised that whether it’s in your career or in life generally, we’ll always face such situations - facing basic, unwanted tasks and challenges that exist in the shadows rather than the limelight. 

However, by approaching such tasks with the same dedication as if they were a high-stakes, high profile mission, he earned respect and gradually was trusted with the larger, more critical missions he had dreamed of.

In other words, doing it right consistently, even when it's a mundane task that doesn’t get you excited, is what will accelerate your development. 

The Importance of Intentionality

McRaven’s story highlights a key leadership principle for me: Intentionality - in essence, doing whatever you’re doing with purpose.

A lot of people misconstrue purpose and see it through the lens of a capital ‘P’ - the fallacy that your life will only have real meaning if you do some grand gesture. Newsflash - not everyone has a Ferrari and not everyone should give it up to become a monk.

What I’m talking about is finding purpose in the work itself. As entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk says: “You gotta love the dirt.”  

Being intentional is about understanding that it’s the hard, foundational work that leads to success. Whether it’s a business, a career, a relationship or your own well-being, it's recognizing that the ability to focus on the unglamorous stuff and doing it to the best of your ability is what will lead to real results. 

By contrast, hang around hoping for those highlight reel moments and life will pass you by. 

The Grind Is A Gift

Robert Greene nails it in Mastery: "Every task you are given, no matter how menial, offers opportunities to observe this world at work. No detail about the people within it is too trivial. Everything you see or hear is a sign for you to decode."

Most of us approach challenging work with an endurance mindset - grit your teeth, push through, get to the other side. But endurance is about survival, not growth. 

By contrast, when you embrace the process - really embrace it, not just endure it - you progress far quicker because you're actually paying attention rather than operating on auto-pilot. 

Intentionality is about choosing to find meaning in the work itself, not just the subsequent rewards. It's recognizing that since you're going to do the task anyway, you might as well extract every ounce of learning from it.

This isn't about pretending every task is thrilling. It's about understanding that excellence is about consistency, not an event. If you can find meaning in the midst of the grind, if you can bring full presence to whatever demands your attention, then every moment becomes a chance to grow.

Turn off the auto-pilot. Don’t just tick the box. Bring intentionality and turn what you’re doing into a growth opportunity. That way, the work doesn't just get done. You get better. And that feeling of growth, of becoming more capable through engagement rather than endurance, is what makes the whole process worthwhile.

Time is your most precious commodity. Once you’ve decided where you’re going to invest it, make every second count.