This is a question about what drives the legendary violin maker Sam Zygmuntowicz.  In a piece in this month’s Forbes, Maureen Farrell chooses the following paragraph to introduce us to this master craftsman, this artist’s artist who works fifteen hours a day to create just six instruments a year.

‘In 2003 a violin by Samuel Zygmuntowicz for Isaac Stern sold for $130,000 at auction, the highest price for one by a living luthier. Last year Yo-Yo Ma played a Zygmuntowicz cello worth an estimated $80,000 while on a two-month tour. When it went back to the shop for a tune-up, Ma went back to his mainstay, a 1733 Domenico Montagnana (1686-1750) worth $2.5 million. “I want to give Ma a reason to leave his Montagnana at home”, says Zygmuntowicz, 52. “I keep thinking, what could be better”.’

My response to this amazing dedication to improvement was to think, ‘if I could only work on 14 improvement challenges a year, what would be this month’s focus?’ Does this ring a bell with you at all?