Excellence and the desire to be good at what you are doing.
When I go about my day and observe how people work I am often amazed by how some people work very hard at what they do with a great attitude and then also how some people have a bad attitude and the result is don't work hard at what they do. Of course there are many who have a bad attitude and get the work done anyway at a high level.
No matter what people do in life there are those who excel at it and those who don't. However, that is not really the point. The point is that so many people don't really seem to care if they are good at something or not. They aren't interested in excelling, they are only interested in getting through the day. They do their jobs, but they don't do them very well and don't seem to care.
The idea for this article was basically what I see is a growing lack of enthusiasm for young people to want to go into the high level professions and instead are more attracted to making money without having anything required of them. They may work hard at it but the problem I see is that it seems that there are fewer and fewer young people who want to be doctors, scientists, engineers, and physicists. There is no shortage of people wanting to be gamers, musicians, artists, actors, social media influencers, and You Tube stars. I'm not against those things at all. However, I feel it is a necessity for America's future that the best and brightest work in areas of high level expertise so that America continues to lead the world in developing the technologies of the future.
Another area that I see as a bit problem is the lack of interest in knowing, understanding, and wanting to involve themselves in the principles of government, the law, and the constitution. There are far to many amateurs in government these days and what is worse is they get all of the media attention. Politics has become a theatrical event and much less a way to solve problems. Today it seems that integrity and decorum have given way to grift and disfunction. The squeaky wheels are getting all of the oil while the few who seem to care about the constitution, the rule of law, and getting things done are not held in high regard as they should be.
All of the above hearken back to one area today that seems has taken place of the admiration of those who seek to be excellent in what they do. The idea of 'success' is much more important in todays society than excellence and I think it is bad for the world. Success at all costs. It doesn't matter how good you are at something, what really matters is how much influence you have, how much money you make, and how impressed people are about your 'star' quality.
The problem is there are plenty of people who are more concerned with high quality excellence in what they do. They just go unnoticed it seems. Today it seems that the only parameter of admiration is 'success'.
For some odd reason the word 'success' has bothered me. It almost makes me sick to hear it. I'm not saying that success is a bad thing, of course it isn't, but it feels today like success is the only parameter for doing something. As long as you are seen as "successful" it doesn't really matter what it is you do or what the actual level of achievement is. As long as you look successful nothing else seems to matter.
In contrast, it appears that those who don't see themselves as successful develop apathy and a bad attitude for what they are doing. It seems there is a sort of shame that accompanies them throughout their work day. They work as if they are defeated and the lack of good and trustworthy employees continues to be a problem for businesses. It is not their fault. They are made to feel as if the only reason they are there is to do a job, to fill a function, or to work like a human robot. They aren't asked to bring themselves into what they do, they are only asked to do the job. Whether you care about what you do is really not important.
I have to go back to my experience working at Reeves Food Center back in the 70s here in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I got my first 'real' job working there at the age of 17. All of my friends had jobs and not to have a job of some kind was unheard of back then. Working at Reeves was much different than what I see today at grocery stores.
First of all the managers were hands on, enthusiastic, friendly, and fun to work with. They led by example. They worked hard and fast. They greeted the customers by name when they walked through the door and asked if there was anything they could help them with. We were required to wear a shirt and tie with an apron around our clothes and that we always looked clean and professional no matte what job we were doing. We were responsible for stocking and keeping our assigned isle looking good and clean. We were taught to help them empty their baskets onto the belt, to bag their groceries, and help them to the car. We were expected to hustle back from the parking lot, or to help up front when it got busy. Speed, and efficiency were not a requirement, it was a source of personal pride.
Today I go to the grocery store and you can't even get an employee to look you in the eye, much less say hi. Today customers are required to not only check themselves out, but also bag their own groceries, and take them to the car...no matter how old or handicapped you may be. The employees seem to work as slow as possible and stand around and watch the customers do the work for them that we used to do, and not only do they not do it, they can't be bothered with saying hi, no matter how often you see them.
This is just he grocery store. It seems to happen everywhere these days and it kind of makes me angry to see it.
No matter where you go today there is a lack luster attitude towards work. Since COVID and probably because of it, it seems that the quality of everything has gone down, and prices have gone up. With that the attitude of excellence has lagged.
But, it does no good to comment on the actions of others if you aren't willing to be an example of the way you want to world to be. So, I have to look in the mirror and ask myself about my own level of excellence in what I am doing, whatever it is, and whether my attitude is right.
But, I have to say that the idea of 'success' has dulled my inspiration over the years. 'Success' is results oriented while 'excellence' is performance oriented. Success shouldn't be a goal, it is a byproduct of excellence.
When I think back on my experience as a singer I realize that I was most concerned with being good at it. Of course I wanted to get the gig, get a nice applause, and make money doing it. However, my own measure of myself was based on how good I thought I was and for most of my career I was usually upset with myself in the areas where I felt like I wasn't as good at something as I felt I could or should be. The fact is, I was right. Now that I know how to do those things that I was lacking in back then, it is too late. But, my inabilities were not for a sincere and earnest lack of trying to find the answers. It took me way to long to understand the things that I needed which would have helped me excel at a higher level and it pisses me off to this day.
One thing is for sure. In some areas of life working hard isn't enough. Working right is key. Knowing the best way to do something makes being excellent in it much easier. You can work as hard as you can, but if you are doing something the wrong way you will never match your level to your work. It is such a frustrating reality.
This is why it is so important that today's youth focus on not only working hard, with a great attitude, but also to learn the right ways of doing things and to seek out the professions which will help make the world a better place to live.
No matter what it is you want to do, be excellent in it. Be the very best, with the best attitude, and work as hard as you can at it.
Popular is secondary to excellence. Success is secondary to excellence.
What I'd like to see in society today is a renewed pride in doing a job as best you can in the right spirit no matter what it is you do. Being proud of your performance should be a higher goal than any perceived level of success one has.
It is important to want to be good at what you do because that is the road to excellence.