It was better than most. But when you expect the very best, anticipate excellence, better than most is just not good enough.
Excellence is …
“Personal pride aimed at delivering your very best and being compared to the best.”
Excellence is my mom’s apple pie. Imagine hand-made pie crust that melts in your mouth. No need for a filling recipe! Just take the apples, taste them, and add the perfect amount of sugar and cinnamon.
People have stood in line, made requests months in advance, and paid outrageous prices for an opportunity to get a piece of Gwen’s apple pie. A recipe of excellence perfected through trial, error, and practice.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
— Aristotle
When I was asked to taste a pie she had prepared to give to a friend, I knew something was wrong. It was better than most, but it was not excellent. It was the crust. Something was wrong with the crust. “Mom, did you do something different?” She had been doing a lot of baking and told me she had purchased a different brand of flour because it was on sale.
Is better than most acceptable when you have a reputation of excellence?
She replaced the flour, started from scratch, and baked a new pie. Better than most is not acceptable when you are capable of and strive for excellence. The recipient of the pie claimed in a text message, “This is the best apple pie I have ever tasted.”
Excellence is not the apple pie, but what results from sharing it.
“Minimalism breeds mediocrity, and mediocrity is the enemy of excellence, the destroyer of passion.”
What can pursuing personal excellence do for you?
- Increase personal joy and satisfaction.
- Improve your skills.
- Grow your personal contribution.
- Enhance your confidence.
- Create a niche of personal differentiation.
“We all get better at what we do if we do it repeatedly.”
— Dr. Pacale Michelon
What reminds you of what excellent is? If you have tasted Gwen's apple pie, was it excellent?
I have not had the privilege, but I'm hoping someday......
definitely a choice!
Karin, I agree it is a choice. It can be so easy to take the "good is good enough" route. I am confident we were designed to pursue excellent! Thanks for your comments.
It is so good! Maybe I should figure out how to give a pie away!
Yes I have and it is excellent but her cherry pie is even better!
How many of you prefer cherry pie to apple pie? Why would you ruin excellent pie crust by filling it up with cherries? The one thing everyone can agree on is the pie crust is excellent.
The apple is to die for good, but I do have to say the cherry is even better! And that's a good thing, because if I had to share Mom's apple pie with you I would never get any 🙂
The clear conclusion is excellence is worth pursuing! There are a lot of flavors that work but in the absence of excellence, no would care. And I am always willing to share a small slice.
I agree with kristi. Cherry is always better. But I agree with Jim. It's all in the crust. I am happy to sample a piece of both to make a most informed decision.
Terrie, informed decisions are the best way to validate excellence. I see a pie contest coming. Excellence is a choice we can validate.