There is always room for improvement. I get what you're saying, and I used to think that way...

What changed my perspective was getting into meditation, and embracing the idea of awareness and deliberation in every moment, trying to do well every single thing I take up, and not just in programming, but also in cooking, eating, sleeping, walking, speaking, thinking, seeing, peeing, pooping, etc.

There is always room for improvement, space and time to do it "just right", what is in Russian called "sovestno", meaning "without shame and in good faith". The closest approximation I can think of in English is "consciensiously".

Once I started thinking this way, my perception of banality and repetitiveness fell away. No task is banal, no task is a repetition, but each one is unique, and must be perceived as such. Once you see it that way, you'll begin to find room for improvement everywhere.

I think it has helped me a great deal in becoming better at programming.

(See also: Bruce Lee, 10000 kicks quote.)

I have a similar way of thinking or at least intellectually try to remind myself of.

Also somehow this reminds me of a go term "honte". https://senseis.xmp.net/?Honte

Interestingly it seems to mean shame in French.

> “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Agreed with the idea that at some point you plateau with the thing you are doing. Its frustrating, because you can't always see a way to change it. Sometimes that is life, I guess - because there is more to life than just being the absolutely best at one thing in life. It is ok to plateau and "collect dividends" (paycheck, nice hours, promotions over time, etc) and focus on challenging yourself in other aspects of your life.

Isnt what they say: 10 years of experience or 10 times 1 year of experience.