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In Pursuit Of Excellence

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, manufactures and service providers have been devoted to the continual increase of the quality of the goods and services they produce. Evidence of this passion is seen in the advancing methodologies designed to improve process flow and eliminate defects.

Today, the mission and vision statements of nearly every organization, includes a statement about its commitment to increasing quality and bringing greater value to the marketplace. Our organizations are not the only ones obsessed with quality. As consumers, we are constantly demanding a raising of the bar. 

Fascinating Contradiction

Interestingly enough, at a time when we are experiencing such an insistence for quality in the goods and services we consume, we see little evidence of a similar focus in our personal lives. Despite the fact that we are driving better cars, watching bigger and better TVs, enjoying the most advanced technology and benefitting from some of the greatest services ever imagined, many are choosing lifestyles that are eroding their personal quality of life.

Our most celebrated individuals serve as the most prominent examples of this fascinating contradiction. Every day, we learn of a trusted celebrity gone bad. It is easy to point the finger and attribute their failures to the cost of fame, but they are not alone. Normal, everyday people, are making similar mistakes. As a whole, we seem to demand quality for the things we can buy, but make opposite choices in the lives we lead. 

Shifting Our Focus

The pursuit of excellence should be the major work of our personal lives. Just like the quality of the products and services we consume, our quality of life is measured by the incremental improvements we make. Reaching for perfection simply means that we will stand just a little taller each day. Perfection is a process best defined by our ability to become complete, finished and fully developed. 

In the coming year, I invite you to look up at the stars and not down at the mud. I dare you to wake up and set your sights on a more excellent way of living. 

See You At The Top

I often quote the words of Daniel Burnham. He said, "make no small plans for they have not the power to stir the souls of man". I am sure if he were alive today, he would have included women in his quote, so I will for him. Small plans do not inspire us to be better men and women. They only lead us to the type of pain and suffering so publicly displayed by the champions of the athletic world and the stars of our entertainment industry. 

We must constantly be evaluating and reevaluating the way we are spending our time. We must also think about what and who we love. These choices determine what we seek and what we seek significantly impacts what we think and do. What we think and do creates the momentum for who we become. Don't allow yourself to make choices that put the risk of moral failure high. It isn't worth it.

I am an advocate for creating a life strategy that requires us to live life with all of our heart, with all of our might, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength. This means that everything we have must be focused on living a better life. Our entire being must be sharply tuned to this desire. If we want to live with purpose and meaning then we must be willing to live to this standard. Any other way only yields a series of dissatisfying life experiences. Align your focus today. You won't regret it.

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

Tags: Andrew Thorn, Authenticity, Game of Life, Goal Setting, Happiness, Heart Might Mind & Strength, Life Leadership Harmony, Love Today, Personal Best Leadership, Spiritual Intelligence, The Authentic Me, The battle between good and evil, The Telios Experience

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 6:30 pm and is filed under Authentic Behavior, Personal Best Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.