Better Is Better (That’s Why They Call It Better)

Every once in a while, someone drops a sentence so simple, so unpolished, so delightfully obvious that it hits you straight in the soul like a folding chair in a WWE match.

For me, it happened last week.

I was talking with my cousin. She’s cool. She’s fun and wildly successful. We were bouncing around ideas about travel and food and all the things that make life feel like more than just a to-do list.

Then she said this.

“Do you know why they call things better? Because better is better. That’s why they call it better.”

I swear to you, time froze for a second.

This is the kind of genius you get from people who don’t try to be profound. It just leaks out of them like a champagne bottle that’s been shaken too hard.

But here’s the thing: once you let that line marinate—like a steak you absolutely hope someone ELSE is paying for—it becomes one of the most powerful truths you’ll ever hear.

Better… is better.

That’s it.

Not fancier.

Not louder.

Not complicated.

Not award-winning, focus-group-approved, or optimized by 17 consultants who all insist they invented the same idea independently.

Just better.

Better food tastes better.
Better hotels feel better.
Better apps get used more.
Better products get loved more.
Better experiences get talked about more.
Better service gets remembered longer.
Better storytelling builds better brands.
Better effort builds better careers.
Better ideas bend the world a little bit in your direction.
Better thinking makes things grow.

It’s almost stupid in its clarity. And that’s what makes it brilliant.

People spend whole careers trying to hack their way around “better.”
They search for loopholes.
They Franken-build shortcuts.
They copy what already exists and pray no one notices.
They blame timing or the algorithm or their boss or Mercury being in retrograde.
They make excuses.
They optimize the wrong things.
They confuse “more” with “better,” “cheaper” with “better,” “faster” with “better,” “newer” with “better,” and “different” with “better.”

But the truth is so painfully simple it almost feels illegal:

Better wins because it’s better.
That’s the whole formula.

And this applies to everything—literally everything we care about.

When a restaurant is better, people wait.
When a movie is better, people tell friends.
When a product is better, it doesn’t need a discount.
When customer service is better, loyalty skyrockets.
When your craft is better, you don’t have to beg for business.
When your creativity is better, people show up.
When your thinking gets better, your results get better.

Better is gravity. Everything moves toward it.

And here’s the part that really slapped me:

Most people don’t aim for better.
They aim for “good enough.”

Good enough won’t make you memorable.
Good enough won’t build a community.
Good enough won’t make anyone talk about you at a barbecue.
Good enough won’t create fans.
Good enough won’t create word-of-mouth.
Good enough won’t lift a business out of the noise.

Better will.

Better cuts through.
Better sparks emotion.
Better invites conversation.
Better creates loyalty.
Better creates belief.
Better makes people say “holy crap, you need to try this.”
Better builds careers.
Better builds movements.
Better builds legacy.

And the part no one wants to admit?

Better isn’t always harder.
Better is a choice before it becomes a skill.

Better is staying five minutes longer to fix the thing.
Better is caring when no one else does.
Better is thinking instead of reacting.
Better is saying “What if?” instead of “That’s too much.”
Better is giving a damn.
Better is showing up with intention.
Better is being brave.
Better is pushing past average.

Better is not perfection, it’s just better.

And the punchline?

Anyone can do better.
Most just choose not to.
Which is exactly why better is such a competitive advantage.

So yeah, my cousin might have delivered the greatest piece of strategy ever uttered while casually discussing travel reservations:

“Better is better. That’s why they call it better.”

I’m not kidding when I say this might be the clearest North Star you can adopt for 2026 and beyond.

Forget “scale.”
Forget “disruption.”
Forget “synergy.”
Forget “AI transformation.”
Forget whatever nonsense is trending on LinkedIn this week.

Just ask yourself one thing every time you ship, speak, present, write, design, serve, lead, sell, or create:

Is this better?

Not perfect.
Not complicated.
Not more expensive.
Not more polished.
Not more theatrical.

Just… better.

If the answer is no, fix it.
If the answer is yes, ship it.
If the answer is “it could be,” keep working.
If the answer is “I don’t know,” you already know.

Better is the standard and the unlock.

Better is everything.

Because, say it with me. better is better. That’s why they call it better.

And once you start thinking that way, nothing you touch will ever be average again.