It was Aristotle who once said that 'Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.' Nothing can be truer.
Everyday, we have a choice to make. Either to go about our daily jobs barely doing enough to get by, or choosing to go over and beyond with a better touch of quality. The thing with excellence is that it becomes an habit over time. However, we must first be intentional about choosing to be excellent. Sometimes, choosing to be excellent will earn you enemies among friends, foes among peers and haters among colleagues. There are many that will simply hate your gut because you refuse to deliver insipid work. Your pursuit of excellence is a crass reminder of their inadequacies and this will only fuel their disdain for you. You know what? That is fine. Keep churning out quality.
In the final analysis, excellence is displayed in the little things, the small acts, the often insignificant details. And sooner than later, the one who is excellent will be noticed, and the reward for being noticed for great work will come along. In the quest for excellence it is not an eye service game, it has to be something you have in your wheelhouse. Perhaps, the greatest gain of being excellent is that it improves the quality of your life. People will want to drag you to their average level often times. Your task is to refuse to accede to such soulless level. Be and remain excellent, save in the thought that next to excellence is the appreciation of it and that excellence always sells. Excellence is a choice, and you must make that choice over and over again until “doing your best” is all you know.
I will end with the stinging words of the amazing Steve Jobs - “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
No comments:
Post a Comment