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You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
-- Steven Wright
 

 

Friday, June 21, 2002

Excellence

Quantity is a poor substitute for quality. One small bit of excellence will outshine a whole room full of mediocrity. Doing one thing very well is a much more successful strategy than doing a lot of things poorly. Efforts which are focused and effective will achieve results, while efforts which are scattered and half-hearted are mainly wasted.

Some see success as a numbers game, and believe that it comes from knocking on enough doors, talking to enough people, and making enough calls. While it’s true that you must knock on a lot of doors, you also must be able to deliver excellence when one of those doors is opened. Though achievement certainly demands a sufficient quantity of effort, there must also be quality and competence in that effort. The numbers matter, and yet so do such things as ideas, integrity, sincerity, knowledge and commitment.

Short-cutting quality to increase quantity, whether in business, relationships or personal development, at best brings gains that are only temporary. Lasting achievement, whatever the endeavor, comes from a commitment to excellence every step of the way.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©2002 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.