I watched a marketing director dismiss AI tools as “just hype” in early 2023. By mid-2024, his team was producing campaigns that looked dated compared to competitors who’d spent six months experimenting. He didn’t lose his job—but he lost something more important. He lost his credibility. His seat at the table.

I’ve seen it happen to friends and contemporaries, people who once had sharp minds and could spot trends before anyone else, but somewhere along the way, they got off the learning treadmill.

And life passed them by.

Not in 20 years. In five. Sometimes even less.

They stopped learning, and they lost their edge.

The world doesn’t slow down for anyone. AI assistants are writing code. No-code tools are eliminating entire job categories. Remote work is putting you in competition with talent anywhere on the planet. If you’re not growing, you’re falling behind.

If you’re not learning and evolving as a leader or an expert in your field, it’s time to move on.

And if the field you’re in no longer sparks curiosity or passion, you need to move on, too. I know that’s not easy. Maybe you’re burned out but can’t afford to leave. Maybe you have a mortgage and kids in school. I get it. But here’s the harder truth: without passion, you won’t have the grit or perseverance to compete with those who are obsessed with it. You’ll be outworked, outhustled, and eventually, replaced.

The learning treadmill isn’t about consuming everything; it’s about learning from everything. It’s not about chasing every trend or taking every course. Sometimes depth beats breadth. The edge isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about staying relentlessly curious about what matters in your domain.

Read the research your competitors ignore. Build the thing that scares you. Ask the question that reveals you don’t know.

The edge isn’t something you earn once. It’s something you sharpen every day.

Bottom line: Comfort dulls. Curiosity sharpens. Stay curious. Stay sharp.