Excellence is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards. Excellence does not come naturally. How many times do we do JUST what is necessary to accomplish the task? We give ourselves a dozens reasons to make it acceptable. See if you recognize some of them.

[unordered_list style=”red-x”]

No one really cares
No one will notice
Everyone else does it
There are more important things to do
Someone else will do it
I’m no good at it

[/unordered_list]
Excellence takes practice
The first step is to recognize you are settling for less than excellence. When you find yourself thinking any of these feelings step beyond them and step into Excellence. It isn’t easy and it takes time and practice.  Aristotle once said.
We are what we repeatedly do . . . excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
 

Set a concrete goal for yourself that is beyond your current capabilities and measure your progress and celebrate your accomplishment. For Example, my current Goals are:

[unordered_list style=”tick”]

Complete a 10K race by March 30th, 2013
Create my own WordPress Theme by June 30th, 2013
When I see a mess, or trash that needs picking up. I will pick it up.
I will communicate with my clients every day.

[/unordered_list]

What are your goals? How will you accomplish Excellence? Big goals are important, but little ones are too. Don’t forget to practice on the little ones.