Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 22. Excellence Counts

"Excellence is a guilty pleasure, as it creates confidence and enhances peace of mind."

The pursuit of excellence is not only politically correct, it's also highly profitable. Excellence is a form of currency. A commitment to excellence can help you capture true wealth and realize the inherent value of your potential, while a lack of commitment devalues potential, credibility, and reputation.

Each of us must determine the specific achievements we must accomplish in order to deem our own life "excellent." Your responsibilities in doing this include choosing a career path, deciding what to and what not to believe in, what to learn and apply in life, and what actions to take. You can help yourself with these responsibilities by consistently asking one simple question: How are your thoughts and actions reflective of a life committed to excellence?

What exactly is excellence? Well, think of it as the process of continually growing and improving yourself and your life. Excellence includes achievement of goals that can be measured by constantly asking the question, "Is what I'm doing truly reflective of a life committed to excellence?"

Your greatest responsibility in seeking excellence is to define what this means precisely in your life, then to choose the best course of action to make it happen. Excellence is not a relative term; it is the standard by which you must judge what you do. You will quickly discover that committing yourself to a life of excellence ...