Mark S. Brown

Last week I wrote about how excellence is linked to enjoyment. Sticking with that theme, I found another quote that made me stop and think. Warren Bennis said, “Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary.”

How do you study excellence to improve your ability? If you can’t answer that question, maybe you need to revisit your desire for excellence. If you are truly on a path of excellence, then you should be learning from the best. You might be able to study successful people in the field, read books, attend learning sessions, or find a mentor.

Learning from the ordinary will happen by default. You can only learn from the best by being proactive. It will require that you step out of your comfort zone, and commit to a plan of action.

The question this week, “Are you truly committed to excellence, or are you only committed to the idea of excellence?“

Pearl Buck once said, “The secret of joy in work is contained in one word: excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” I hope you are one of the people that enjoy what you do. How do you link excellence with enjoyment?

Over my years in industry I have met individuals that never seem to get the details right. They try, they take action, they work fast, but they never seem to check their work. They have errors and mistakes in the data or in the facts, or in the way they present the story. But yet, they don’t seem to care.

After reading this quote, it made me think about these people. Are they just not happy doing what they are doing? If you try to help them, coach them, it doesn’t seem to stick. In some cases they become angry that you are even trying to help.

On the other hand when you are striving for excellence, your attention to detail is heightened. Finding happiness in excellence is a great goal. Alignment in actions, thoughts, goals, purpose, and passion is the starting point.

Have you found a path to excellence that also makes you happy?

I recently saw the film, Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise. One scene still stands out in my mind. Jack, who previously was a military policeman, was explaining how he was trained to protect America’s freedom. He explained, this is the home of the brave and the land of the free. Or is it? Look at those people are they free? Free from debt? Free from struggle? Free to live their life the way they want?

His point was that very few of us are truly free. So I got to wondering how we judge our lives in terms of freedom, courage, integrity, and so forth. Can we truly use those words when we reflect on our own lives?

I do not have any answers. That is probably why that scene is still stuck in my mind. How free is free? How free should it be?

I would like to believe that those words stir thoughts of pureness that we strive for but maybe can never reach. Like ultimate targets, not just descriptions. Maybe brave and freedom represent a states we can never achieve.

Ultimate it points to the need for self-reflection. What does it mean to me? How can I do something different to achieve a different result. We need to calibrate daily. Are we as brave as we could be? Are we as free as we could be? Is our integrity as strong as it could be? Is our purpose as clear as it could be?

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Put first things first and we get second things thrown in; put second things first and we lose both first and second things.” How important is it for you that you have your priorities right?

I have written many times about goals, and purpose, and finding your passion. I think that knowing our priorities (the first, the second, the third, etc.) can only be done effectively if you have been able to define your purpose, and your values.

Each day you can set priorities. Each day you can live fulfilling the tasks you choose to pursue. Each day you can be successful. But if you don’t have a big picture view of what you are trying to accomplish, then you may take many detours.

If you are working on your list of resolutions for the new year, try to prioritize them. What is first? What is second? Take some time to define your priorities from a big picture view of what you want to accomplish this year.

Practice applying the discipline to follow these priorities and increase your success.