Excellence is not a choice, it is a habit.

We are what we repeatedly do - Aristotle I heard this quote being given by a man who was 72 years old. He was giving advice to someone who was in their 20’s. You know the kind of advice that only experience can give. He was speaking on character. It was a good conversation. I have often heard character described as what you do behind closed doors or what you do when no one is watching. I think these are good metrics for self guidance but as I have thought on the advice this man gave, I cannot help but think that character is defined by much more defined systems. As an employer, a teacher and mentor to many people the quote above resonates. In fact I say something very similar most days; “Repetition bleeds consistency and consistency is the mark of a professional.”It is in a choice to do something repeatedly that causes excellence. Because a Choice becomes a Habit, that habit becomes automatic, what is automatic becomes our identity and what is our identity becomes our nature. If this is true, Excellence in a moment an  excellence is the normal are both possible. Notice, perfection is nowhere to be found. Perfection does not exist in music and it does not exist in life. It can be so close to be perfect that it feels perfect. Almost as if perfection does exist but if you look close enough, there’s always something a miss. What I have found over time is that if I always do the work that is required, not best, but what is required excellence is always found. If I do that enough times, the outcome is that I become the type of person that does what is required and that is perceived as excellence to most but it is just the requirement for me. We do not hold ourselves as people accountable to what we contribute to the world around us as we should. If we did, many things would be different. The greatest possibility of change would be our families, our communities and our friendships. They would look very different. Because it would force us to choose how we show up and have to honestly answer the question of why we didn’t do what was required. We are all capable. We are all full of possibilities. I find that some of the young students around me force me to change the way I think because they see things far clearer than I can sometimes. They hold me accountable. Not in all areas but enough to be a good reflection for them. Excellence is a choice that becomes a habit that becomes automatic that becomes our identity that becomes our nature. What do you do? Who will you become? What will you stop? What will you start? Peace. Zack