Thanks for sharing your blog.

As long as meeting human need matters, excellence matters! The issue of sustainability and stewardship of this country’s (and the world’s) resources comes to mind. We have a responsibility to future generations, to manage these resources so that the needs of those who follow us will continue to be met. How many generations will that be? It’s an open question.

In order to meet a goal such as this, the pursuit of excellence is unavoidable. As you’ve pointed out, during good times “good enough” may have been ok; but during the historic times in which we find ourselves, (when those who would rather not act, don’t); good enough is no longer ok. The inverse to this is also true, when others don’t act, there is opportunity to act, thus reason for hope.

You’ve made some very sound points. We say “we want to change the world”. Alright then, let’s all pursue excellence as a means to that end, and maintain hope for future generations.

Thank you for sharing this topic on your blog.

Peter

Rion, I read the introduction to your blog as I sat down this morning to begin my final quarter in Graduate School. What better way to get started than to consider your questions about Excellence!

In my personal life, I often choose inaction (or at least procrastination) if an excellent solution is not immediately attainable. For example, I may go without a sofa in my new living room until I can afford and can find just the right one. I’d rather confront an empty space with imagined excellence than confront a completed space with poor or mediocre furnishings. An eccentricity that I choose to afford myself. In business this is not possible. As my former boss used to say, “Don’t ever give me 110%, just give me (at most) 80%.” There is something to be said for sacrificing “the best” for the sake of “getting it done.” For what good is it really to anyone if the project is never completed? There is great wisdom in Nike’s slogan, “Just do it.”

Here lies the trap of the creative mind. Excellence is never truly attained. There is always more that can be done, details that can be tweaked. There is no greater torture than having a piece of your own artwork hanging in a place where you have to see it every day. That’s why most of us just have to give the stuff away. Hopefully in exchange for money. Once we release that photograph, painting, poster, or annual report out into the world, other people can look at it and say, “that’s pretty damn good.” At that point, the work has reached its 100% potential. Move on to the next project.