Is it feisty or foolish??
Reflecting on
my thoughts just the other day, I reflected over time on my decisions, actions,
and reactions; thinking of what statement it makes about me today. After all,
the present is where we live so our most important statement we make about
ourselves is in the one we make today, and tomorrow when it becomes today.
In a rapidly
changing world, I have seen many succeed and fail under the weight of change
and always considered my unrelenting pursuit of excellence to be a gold plated
personality trait, which has driven many successes both professionally and
personally. Yet despite these positives I, like so many others have had my fair
share of failures, mistakes and missives that were not avoided but endured
along the path of life that has brought me to this point. Whether I have crested in success or moved
bravely through the valley of misfortune, my unrelenting drive for excellence
has motivated me to keep on going or when successful to make it better, not just
for me, but as I have gotten older, for those around me in the hope that some
day they may pay it forward.
Some
realisations that have of late broadened my definition of “The pursuit of
excellence” are:
- · Success at any cost is not success, it is failure wrapped in illusion. If you don’t pay the price for the lack of consideration, somebody else will.
- · Believing you are good is not the same as being good. Listen to others even if you don’t like what they say for they may hold the key to change that will transform your future ‘you’!
- · Humility is not for schmucks; it retains humanity in us ‘human beings’ acting as a control to ego, arrogance and ultimately hubris. It balances our thoughts and allows us to see more clearly in our daily lives.
- · Excellence is a relative term, not a fixed absolute. Ensure that excellence and effectiveness are balanced in your outcomes.
- · If you are not passionate about what you do, then you will not be committed. Passion drives belief and belief can never be taken away from you if you choose to retain it. A bright new day always comes after a dark night, so believe in what you do and you will find the strength, will and wisdom to overcome obstacles in reaching your goals.
- · Excellence based on a false premise is arrogance in fine cloth. Stay balanced and in touch with yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues and wider society remembering we all play our part in our society.
So, as you can
see, the hard charging youngster that once believed he could fly to the moon
and back before breakfast is replaced with a much more reflective world view
that still is foolishly passionate about the drive for excellence seeing
excellence in more complicated yet clearer terms. Some may call this broader
view foolish; others may see it as responsible??
Whatever other’s
think about you, one can never think too much about it as we are on a journey
in life that we only truly understand in retrospect. That being the case, being
considerately engaged in the pursuit of excellence in the good times and bad
can only leave a legacy we can be proud of as we reflect on our lives. Feeling,
as much as knowing we did good in this world is something money can never buy,
its a much more complicated matter we humans call life.
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Excellent, thoughtful, realistic post about personal excellence well written without the typical hubris we find related to this subject.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like that you don't equate the pursuit of excellence with perfectionism which keeps many from trying to do excellent work because they fear being unlikely to attain "perfection". With your permission, I'll plan to quote you, "Excellence is a relative term, not a fixed absolute".
Ed, many thanks for your positive feedback.. Its much appreciated! Yes indeed, please quote the article at your pleasure sir!
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