Nothing worth having is given. The people I respect most - founders, athletes, craftspeople - understand that excellence isn't a state you reach. It's a practice you maintain. Every day you either earn it again or you don't.
I learned this early. Working through college, competing as a D1 wrestler, building things with no resources - each taught the same lesson from a different angle. The work doesn't care about your pedigree or your plans. It only cares whether you showed up and did it well.
This is what I look for in people and what I hold myself to: a willingness to do the unglamorous work before expecting the outcome. Earn the credibility before claiming it. Build the thing before talking about it.