6 Quotes About Excellence

There are not many concepts as difficult to understand and assimilate as that of excellence. It’s a wonderful word, and it “sells” better than almost anything else. Let’s just think of the excellence initiative of German colleges and universities. But what does excellence really mean? What is its place in our life? Is it the same to strive for excellence as for perfection? Does it mean being the best or just being the best you can?

To be honest, excellence is more than just a matter of being good at something. It goes far, far beyond that, including a moral aspect, which includes trying to do your best under the circumstances to find the best solution. Many people strive for measurable success, possessions and skills. But that’s not the point here at all. It’s about satisfaction and personal growth.

Excellence is not an act but a habit

“Excellence is an art that is learned through training and habituation. We do not act right because we have virtue or excellence, but we approach them when we act right. We are what we do repeatedly. So excellence is not an act, but a habit. “

Aristotle

Excellence is not a fixed level of quality or perfection agreed among experts. It is a constantly changing paradigm, and it comes from what we do every day. It’s not about being perfect at something, although that is an admirable goal. Rather, it’s about doing things as well as possible.

Outdoing ourselves in what we do takes a lot of work and passion. But that drive and the resulting obligation to strive can help us achieve amazing results.

Excellence is something you have to work on every day

“There is no like joy that comes with such a task, or any other, any other kind of task. You will always have to go somewhere else. You have to get ready again and be on your way. […] You have to go on and knock on Your Excellency’s door, because that is your job seven days a week. “

Arnaldo Calveyra

The pursuit of excellence never ends, does not allow breaks, and never makes exceptions. Excellence is something you have to work on every day because it comes from your own values. We are talking about the values ​​that we put to the test every day, the values ​​that we see in everything we do and what happens to us. Excuses don’t count!

Enjoying doing things well

“The secret of enjoying work is contained in one word: excellence. Knowing how to do something well means enjoying it. “

Pearl S. Buck

Relying on excellence in what we do is one of the best ways to enjoy it. If we balance our attitudes at work with this goal, we will achieve far more than just good results. It is also an enrichment for ourselves to be personally and professionally involved.

When we know we’re doing something well, it can even multiply the joy we get from doing it. The more we practice, the better the results will be and the more we will strengthen this habit.

Excellence is a constant search

“As for me, I am looking for excellence. I don’t have time to get old. “

Will Eisner

We are talking about a process that never ends while there is still an opportunity to improve something. And the more time we spend striving for excellence, the younger, more hopeful, and more active we will feel. This is due to the belief that there is still room for improvement. There are still opportunities for improvement no matter what part of our life we ​​are talking about, be it professional or personal.

Achieving high personal standards is essentially the result of a deep desire to perform better. We have deep will to optimize our results with the resources made available to us. Excellence thus becomes an outward manifestation of inner integrity, passion and the strong desire to change something.

No matter what we do, we always have the option of adopting this attitude for ourselves. It is also true that our skills and resources, or our information, can be limiting factors. This is the moment when passion and commitment come into play: Most of the time we really still have a lot of leeway.

Recognition goes hand in hand with excellence

“If you expect to achieve your dreams, give up your need for general recognition. If fulfilling the expectations of others is your ultimate goal, you have sacrificed your uniqueness and with it your excellence. “

Hope Solo

Many people struggle for recognition, but they don’t always follow the right path. Gaining recognition through excellence is the best and noblest way to do so. However, for the people who make it this way, the recognition itself is usually less important than a good result.

On the other side of the coin, however, is also that we will not find excellence if we do not look for it. In addition, the search for excellence means excelling in what we do and always doing our best. Even if it looks like we are far from surpassing ourselves, interest and effort will always be the most valuable elements we can put into a project. Having a desire and acting toward it is the only way to get one step closer to excellence.

Seize every little chance

“We don’t get the chance to do that many things and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life. “

Steve Jobs

In adopting this attitude we need to believe in ourselves and be guided by our ability to see opportunities for improvement. That means going forward and finding the best way to improve every single detail. It is an action, not a watch or a reaction, although the former can start with the latter.

However, it is not easy to adopt this mindset and stay tuned. It can be extremely frustrating and painful because the first results we get are often miles away from what we were hoping for. In the end, excellence is also an exercise in intelligence and patience. It is a reward for people who have the strength and courage to take the step and go beyond their limits.