Hit 1,000 haircuts and it hit me different

I've been cutting hair for about 4 years now, mostly at a shop in Portland. Last week I hit my 1,000th cut on some regular named Dave who always wants a skin fade. I know it's just a number but seeing that count climb made me realize how much I've improved since I started, especially with my clipper work and blending. Anyone else keep track of their numbers like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryj6615d agoTop Commenter

You ever notice how we don't really see how far we've come until we look back at some kind of count like that? It's like the miles on a car, you don't feel every single one but suddenly you realize you've driven across the country. Same thing with anything repetitive in life, you just do it over and over until one day the numbers add up and you see the progress you've made. I bet that 1,000th cut felt different because you could actually feel all the mistakes you fixed getting there. Numbers like that are just proof that showing up and doing the work really does pay off.

blair_nguyen15d ago

Read something similar in a book about habits once - it compared building skills to compound interest, where you don't see the big payoff until way down the line. Those small daily actions stack up like cash in a savings account, boring at first but wild when you finally check the balance. Probably why hitting that 1,000 mark feels like more than just a number, it's the visible proof that all those boring days actually meant something.

martin.riley15d ago

Ask @blair_nguyen if compound interest works on bad habits too.