Pursuing Excellence

 

In my life, I have spent a great deal of time studying, reading, and learning all that I could about the principles of an excellent lifestyle. I would definitely be remiss if I would suggest that an excellent lifestyle is without fault or error. Neither do life's trials or tribulations recognize any boundaries of integrity or balanced living, but one thing is for sure, pursuing excellence has no boundaries either.

So how do I define excellence? Excellence is the act of doing the right thing for an audience of none. It means turning the lights off when I leave my hotel room just like I do when I leave home. It means not taking home all kinds of things that do not belong to me if I have not paid for them, even if it is a small thing. It means taking a few minutes out of my day to give someone help, if required. It means going through an entire day without judging something or someone. It means being in the moment and giving my best to the task at hand. It means putting that shopping cart back in the cart stand when I unload my groceries so that someone else doesn't have to do it for me. Or so that a wind doesn't come along and run that cart into someone's vehicle. It means picking up a piece of clothing that has fallen off the rack in the store I am shopping in, even if it wasn't me that did it. It means not telling everyone I know about something nice that I did, because then it does not count. It means not counting the number of times I have done something. It means being legitimately happy at where I am, instead of where I am not. It means being patient in a line-up, because my schedule is not more important than the rest of the people in the line-up with me. It means doing something with the expectation of nothing in return.

Are you starting to get the picture? Although spring is a time of rebirth and growth and new life, now is as good a time as any to make changes in your life. One more thing I have also noticed is that sometimes I need to make a conscious effort to do these things. I did notice, however, that after awhile I could do any one of these with no effort or no reminder as it had already become a way of life. Another thing I noticed was that the role models in my life whose lifestyle exemplified excellence and balance seemed to be very happy and very healthy - emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

 

Val Hadwen
Library Technician