Theme: Perfection or Excellence

Thought for the week: Integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in all we do! (US Air Force Core Values)

Practice makes Perfect! Those of us that are pushing (or past) Social Security eligibility age, have heard it a million times. Seems like solid advice. But what if you are practicing something wrong? All practice does, in that case, is make things permanently wrong instead of perfect.

Maybe it’s better to do things right. That is, whatever we do, do it with excellence instead of seeking perfection.

Perfection is an impossible standard. It can be frustrating and, in the end, a tremendous waste of time. Excellence, however, is an achievable standard that can be gratifying and healthy.

Excellence is doing the best we can within our own God given abilities. That allows for each of us to attain the standard regardless of our role in life. Excellence is always attainable.

That does not imply we get a pass from working hard. We can’t simply say that’s good enough because that’s all God has allowed me to do. Excellence always involves some level of sacrifice to reach the level God put within our grasp.

Legendary basketball coach John Wooden, winner of 7 straight and 10 of 12 national championship said, “There is no substitute for hard work. If you’re looking for the easy way, if you’re looking for the trick, you might get by for a while, but you will not be developing the talents that lie within you. There is simply no substitute for work.”

There you have it. There is no substitute for hard work when it comes to achieving excellence. The good news is it is always within our grasp!

Have an AWESOME Week!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page