How You Do Anything is How You do Everything

In my recent Erika Fox Edit post, I mentioned one of the best podcasts I’ve listened to recently (and maybe ever) was the Mel Robbins x Emma Grede conversation. There was one moment in particular that I can’t stop thinking about.

Emma said one of her favourite quotes she lives by is…

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

I love this.

Think about someone you know who puts 100% effort into everything they do. They text you back within the hour. They never miss their Monday evening fitness class. They show up fully to whatever job, project, or commitment is in front of them - big or small. If they say they’re going to do something, you know it’ll be done well. You know them for their reliability… & their excellence at everything they do.

Growing up, I watched my Mom approach every single task with the same amount of attention to detail (110% every time) and even though sometimes I thought she was crazy (she literally even ironed our underwear, lol) - it’s something I’m so grateful to have grown up around.

The philosophy in our house was: if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right.

Of course, I’ve done things that have been far from excellent - we all miss the mark from time to time - but overall, I truly try my best to give things my all, knowing that it will all pay off in the end.

Whether it was never missing a football training (even while playing on 3 teams), always having my homework in on time, showing up for a friends birthday, reshooting a post/campaign to make sure it was the best quality for the brand, putting attention to detail into every little element of a party I was hosting (even if I knew no one would notice)….whenever I’ve approached things with a 100% or nothing mindset, that’s when I’ve experienced (fulfilling) success.

I’ve always believed that if you’re nice, reliable, easy to work with and do what you say you’re going to do, people notice. They’ll recommend you. They’ll remember you when opportunities come up. They’ll trust your work, because your consistency has already spoken for you. How you do the “little things” says everything about how you’ll show up for the “big things.”

They also spoke in the podcast about the difference between excellence vs. perfection and I thought this was really interesting too as there is definitely an important distinction.

Perfection is rigid - it’s about doing something without a single flaw, which often leads to procrastination, overthinking, or never starting at all. It’s fueled by fear: fear of judgment, fear of mistakes, fear of not being good enough.

Excellence, on the other hand, is flexible. It’s about bringing intention, effort, and care to what you’re doing - even when it’s messy, even when you’re still learning. Excellence allows room for growth. It says: I’ll show up and give my best with what I have today, and tomorrow I’ll try again.

That’s why excellence is sustainable and perfection is exhausting. One pushes you forward, the other holds you back.

I definitely haven’t always been able to effectively separate these two but as I’m getting older, I’m becoming a lot better at knowing the difference.

The beauty of the journey to excellence is that don’t need to overhaul your life or become superhuman overnight. It’s simply about choosing to care, even in the moments where it would be easy not to.

Think about the everyday actions we tend to brush off:

• Replying to an email thoughtfully instead of rushing through it.

• Keeping a promise to yourself to move your body, even if it’s just for 20 minutes.

• Making your bed before you leave your house every morning. (This one is a non-negotiable for me as it immediately sets the tone of my day)

• Putting time into making sure your meals are going to provide you with nutrition and energy.

• Showing up five minutes early instead of five minutes late.

• Listening fully when a friend shares something, instead of half-scrolling your phone.

• Giving 100% to your current job even though you know it’s just a stepping stone to where you’re going.

These “small” moments don’t feel like they matter in isolation. But they build your reputation, your confidence, your habits and eventually, your identity. People may not remember every detail of your work, but they always remember how you made them feel and the reliability you carried.

So going into this new month, I challenge you (& myself) to take notice of a few ‘small’ things you usually rush through or don’t give your all to. What would it look like to approach it with excellence instead and start building a good habit? And then we can both look back at the end of the year and see the difference it has made.

Excellence isn’t about perfection - it’s about intention. It’s a choice to show up with care, whether it’s returning a text, finishing a project, or chasing your biggest dream.

Because how you do anything is how you do everything.

Thank you so much for reading, I’m so happy to have you here & I’m excited to share more posts like this if you enjoy them.

Erika x