We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. – Aristotle
There is a lot of talk about excellence. There always has been and there probably always will be.
The problem with most of the talk about excellence is the pressure it puts on people, especially our children, to perform before they are ready. Companies use phrases like “we demand excellence from our employees.” Schools promote “we expect excellence from our students” in the hopes that parents will send their children there to become excellent students. Coaches say to their athletes “we are here to win; I will not accept anything short of excellence from you!”
I want you to know right up front that none of these phrases are bad. In fact, companies, schools, coaches, and parents should expect excellence. The problem is we often expect excellence from others, and even ourselves, on-demand, from the outset, and it’s just not possible.
The philosopher Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 BC, knew way back then that excellence is not something that is done once or by sheer force of will. Excellence is something that develops over time by doing simple, basic things, over and over again until they become habit. Excellence is embodied in the phrase “don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong!”
What a company should say is “we demand excellence from our employees, so we give them tools, training, and the time needed to develop the skills required for excellence.” A school should say “we believe our students are capable of excellence, so we teach not just the academic subjects but we help them develop the study habits they will need in order to become excellent students.” Coaches should say “my job as your coach is to teach you the fundamentals of the sport until they become second nature, then build on that foundation through consistent, proven training methods until you are able to perform with excellence.”
If you want to become excellent at something, figure out what it is you need to repeatedly do in order to become excellent, then repeatedly do it! With the exception of certain athletics, most people who are considered excellent in their field will tell you they do not possess any special gift or ability; they just do what most people are not willing to do–the hard, repetitive work necessary to become excellent!
Excellence is a habit. Are you developing habits that will lead you toward excellence?
This is one of my daily “LifeThoughts” posts.
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