Remember that time when you put in your heart and soul and made that great dish that everyone loved! Or that time when you went all out to help that customer! Yes, that time when you practiced that song really well and rendered it so beautifully! That time when you submitted your best science assignment! What a beautiful feeling that was huh! Makes you smile when you think of it !
That’s what it feels like when we do our best. How nice it would be to do our best every time! How delightful ! Not just for us but for the witness/recipient as well !
Yet it is easy to just do whatever is passable, just acceptable, to get by. But that does not lead to excellence. Excellence requires us to put in more effort, our best effort in fact, to get superior and ‘higher than expectations’ results. It requires us to be immersed, present and reach standards that bring joy, satisfaction and delight, whatever our task or actions maybe.
The best part is – expertise and excellence raise the level of experience not just for the individual but for the person witnessing that expertise and excellence! This is the reason why it makes one so delighted!
Listen once more to Bharata Ratna M S Subbalakshmi singing Bhaja Govindam, recall Roger Federer’s passing shots, watch Mark Spitz in the pool…What pleasure, what joy, what inspiration just to witness their expertise, their elite performance !
While mastery and expertise pertain to skill sets and are acquired through consistent, dedicated practise, excellence is an attitude and a habit.
Excellence, mastery and expertise in any field are highly valued, respected and in demand. Whether in sports, science, art, literature or business, we recognise and admire high standards, high skill sets and high competence.
Everyday, we depend on experts in one way or the other – the nephrologist treating a sick family member, the lawyer taking up a property dispute on your behalf in the court, the guy that ‘expertly’ changes your car tyres, the pilot that flies you to Goa for your vacation – we need people who we can trust to keep our lives, money and family safe.
We look forward to enjoy the works, play and creations of excellent musicians, expert sportspersons, and masterful artists.
One need not get insane ‘chasing’ expertise, rather natural aptitude + immersive practice (sadhana) + regular course correction + a desire to be one’s best+ an attitude to DO one’s best every time leads to Excellence and Expertise.
Excellence is not a theoretical concept. It is not about just being the best version of oneself, it is about DOING our best, of being people in action, of doing the very best we can in any field, in any activity, be it small or big. The satisfaction, the joy of being in that space is immense.
Excellence is not about being better than anyone else at a task in any field. It is about being excellent in one’s own ways, being better than before.
Excellence is easy to recognise, as is mediocrity. Mediocre or sub-par levels of activity give neither the desired results nor high levels of satisfaction for the doer or the witness.
The Bhagavad Gita on Excellence:
The Bhagavad Gita IS about performance – performing to the best of one’s abilities.
As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, 3:21
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जन: |
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ||
Whatever actions great persons perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, all the world pursues.
By being excellent in one’s field, by choosing to be an expert, we can inspire many, guide many and teach many.
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”
― Vince Lombardi
So are you ready to set those high standards and inspire the world with your excellence, mastery and expertise ? 🙂
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