EXCELLENCE IS NOT A SKILL — It’s an attitude.

Excellence is more of an attitude than a skill. While skills are the explicit aptitudes we mature through practice, an attitude is the mindset, approach, and assurance to perfection and achieving high values and standards. This involves steadily pushing for quality, seeking growth, and being devoted to accomplishing the best.

Skills can be a medium to achieve excellence, but the attitude drives incessant enhancement and resilience to challenges and encounters.

This combination of commitment, chastisement, and grit in pursuit of quality defines Excellence.

Excellence is the quality of being good.

The benchmarks of excellence and being ‘very good’ have evolved. In the past, a first division and a good second division were the norms. In today’s context, achieving a first division in high school at sixty per cent might be met with laughter. This shift in perception underscores the dynamic nature of excellence, reminding us that our past achievements in studies, which were considered good, are now compared to the ninety percentiles of our children, leading to a change in attitudes. This adaptability is a key aspect of the pursuit of excellence.

Intelligence, diligence, and, for that matter, excellence have not changed, but the attitudes have changed.

We often need clarification on Excellent and Excellence.

‘Excellent’ – perfect; outstanding — Describes the action — Bravo! You did very well.

‘Excellence’ – the quality of being outstanding — Describes your core being or the condition of being superior.

One thing par excellence for one person may not be for another. A director puts his heart and soul into making a film and is skilled at bringing out the best in the actors. His excellence is put to a litmus test when the film hits the theatres. People adjudicate his work through their aptitude and attitude.

A skilled surgeon aspires to precision in his intricate work. This aspiration, driven by passion, is his attitude towards achieving excellence. To reach excellence, he must strive for perfection, following a set of principles and manuals repetitively. ‘We are what we repeatedly do.’

When passion and skill work in harmony, art is born. The journey of learning and creativity is excellence, while the end product is perfection. It’s the passion that fuels the journey, making the process of achieving excellence inspiring and motivating. This emphasis on passion is intended to ignite a similar fire in the readers’ hearts, inspiring them to infuse their work with the same dedication and enthusiasm.

The prevailing attitude towards life is to be skilled and excellent, and the journey to mastery requires patience and commitment. We are unique, and everyone’s path to excellence is different. Remember, perfection is reserved for the divine, while a person can reach excellence.

People who choose to live mediocre lives are far from being excellent and can never touch perfection. Their careless and frivolous attitude causes them to sit back and endure life as it comes. A perfectionist looks for supremacy and has positive goals and discernments about life. He can never think of patchiness and fastens his belt to make the diamond sparkle even in the slimy clay. An overflowing passion is the secret ingredient to infuse hard work and diligence into whatever he envisages.

“The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking of excellence.” Excellence blooms and crowns a person in doing ordinary things in the most extraordinary ways.

Excellence is not exclusively confined to achievements and fashion talent.

The ultimate challenge is not skill-based excellence but attaining Moral Excellence. Moral Excellence, often overlooked in today’s society, is the practice of ethical behaviour and cultivating virtuous character. It was once taught in schools to impart knowledge and train young minds to strive for moral excellence, which is even more potent than excellence in skill, vocation or any profession. This is the pinnacle of personal development, a standard that transcends professional success and societal recognition.

Being skilled and nurturing morality are two distinct paths to becoming an ideal human. It’s not just about having the right skills but also about cultivating the right attitudes and habits. For instance, practising empathy, being open-minded, and maintaining a positive outlook are all part of defining a person’s excellence.

We become just by doing just acts, pleasant by pleasing and valiant by performing courageous acts.  As the saying goes, ‘Charity begins at home.’ – So does Morality. Young adults churned out of homes that impart morality and humility show different shades in their dealings and achievements.

As part of good parenting – while slogging the child to do homework and attain a ninety percentile – Train morality with equal zeal and enthusiasm. This will change the child’s attitude when he becomes an adult.

I never explain myself because I know that I made no mistake. It may sound conceited and arrogant, but I preach morality and strive for excellence—that’s not my horizon but my attitude.

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