The Pursuit of Excellence

An interesting story that I came across. Well the story in itself may seem too trivial to take a lot of meaning out of it, but it has a deep rooted meaning none the less. It is a translation from another language. A story of Indian folklore, where temples are abundant and people are really hard working, especially in the villages and in the skilled trade, like in sculpting. Anyways I hope you like the story.

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby.

Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same idol?” “No,” said the sculptor without looking up, “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.”

The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage?” he asked. “There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said the sculptor, still busy with his work.

“Where are you going to install the idol?” The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.

“If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, “I will know it.”

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. “Excellence” is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.

The Right Angle

My favorite movie of all time is Dead Poets Society. If you’ve watched it, and if you really listen to the message, it is a message of change and progression, for if not we stagnate and die. Really, some of the quotes are so powerful, and the example of leadership played by the main teacher “Mr. Keating” (as portrayed by actor Robin Williams) is truly unique and absolutely remarkable. I’ll take this post into two parts, again, not to dilute the lesson it’s trying to convey.

Today I want to write about what I learned again from watching the movie AGAIN (probably for the nth time). Really, Mr. Keating’s message is one of hope and aspiration. His work is centered around reaching the young minds of his students and implanting them with a desire to succeed, but to be unique in being themselves. One of my favorite quotes is right in the beginning when he says, “You’re in a battle, gentleman, for your hearts and souls!”

That perfectly describes our journey through this life! It’s a battle to keep true to who we are…so very deep inside. A battle that if lost, we will lose our beings to the traps of mediocrity and non-achievement. Very powerful if you think about how we’ve been doing in “our” battle up until this point in time.

One of the most famous scenes in the first half of the movie is when Mr. Keating stands up on his desk, and then encourages his students to all take a turn doing the same. His point is to help them see the world from a different angle, give them a different perspective. He encourages this as a way of gaining new insight and revolutionary ideas in solving life’s challenges and discovering grand opportunities. I asked myself yesterday, “how often do I look at things from new angles?” Surprisingly we stay stuck in the same mental rut as we always have been, yet expect things to change! (That is the definition of insanity, by the way) Albert Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” Now if that’s not one of the most brilliant things ever spoken, I don’t know what is.

That quote is exactly what Mr. Keating was doing on his desk. By standing up there, you can view the world in a different scene and be on a different level. When we are faced with challenges, whether they be personal, family, or business related, the best way out of them is to look for new angles. Look for a new opening. Look for the opportunity.

Basically, stop focusing on the damn problem! The more we talk about the sorrows we have, the more we speak of the insurmountable obstacles we face, well, then, the more we have those situations come into our life. So let’s implore together to stand on a desk today (figuratively speaking, but if you’re inclined to actually do so, be my guest.

Let’s look at the way life is going FROM A TOTALLY NEW PERSPECTIVE. What are the possibilities ahead? What are the goals we want to achieve? What is the ideal target? Then let us put our undivided focus upon that end result. Minute by minute, until we have come to our planted destination. Worth a shot? Right?

MAY YOU SORE TO NEW HEIGHTS TODAY!