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

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

Excellence is the quality of being good.

Now, this seems abstract as, with time, the parameters of Excellence and being very good have changed. Remember the times when there was something like a first division . . . and, also a good second division. In today’s scenario, if you tell somebody that you secured the first division in high school – Sixty per cent, you are a laughing stock.

Weren’t we good at studies where our own children denounce our feat and giggle at us, compared with their ninety per cent grades?

Intelligence, Diligence and, for that matter, Excellence have not changed, but the attitudes have changed.

We often get confused with Excellent and Excellence.

‘Excellent’ – extremely good; 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 movie. His skill is to churn out the best in his actors. The acid test takes place when the film hits the stands. The Director’s excellence is put on a litmus, and people adjudicate his work through their aptitude and attitude.

Sure enough; the excellence is not a skill . . . it’s an attitude.

A good surgeon wants to attain precision in his intricate work. This is his attitude towards his profession. To obtain Excellence, he has to chase perfection . . . He has to follow a set of principles and manuals repetitively. ‘We are what we repeatedly do.’ When passion and skill work together in unison, a work of art is in the making – be it a sculpture or a person.

The process of learning is excellence, while the end product is perfection.

The general attitude towards life is to be skilful and excellent. But a process and patience are waiting to be mastered. We are all different, and everyone has a journey to master. After all, a person can reach Excellence—but perfection is undoubtedly God’s business. Right?

People who choose to live a mediocre life are far from Excellence and can never even touch perfection. Their careless and frivolous attitude towards life causes them to sit in the back seat and endure life as it comes. A perfectionist looks for supremacy and has positive goals and discernments about his life. He can never think of patchiness, and he fastens his belt to make the diamond sparkle even in the slimy clay. An overflowing passion works as 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 when he does ordinary things in the most extraordinary way possible.

Excellence is not exclusively confined to achievements and fashion talent.

‘The biggest challenge is to attain perfect and flawless MORAL EXCELLENCE.’

Being a Skilled and nurturing Morality are two different schools of thought that graduate a person to a perfect human being. It is again a habit or attitude that needs to be enabled to become perfect.

We become ‘just’ by doing ‘just’ acts, pleasant by pleasing actions and valiant by performing courageous acts.

Excellence in morality sets examples and paves the way for cohorts to follow the ideals.

Moral Science was used 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.

As the saying goes, ‘Charity begins at home.’ – So does, Morality. Young adults who are 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 moults to adulthood.

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

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