How’s it going this week?
Do you feel you’ve achieved much of value?
This week’s dose of Mental Sunshine is all about excellence.
I read an interesting piece from Tom Peters about excellence that I thought I might share with you here:
Excellence is not a “long-term aspiration.”
Excellence is the ultimate short-term strategy.
EXCELLENCE is THE NEXT 5 MINUTES
Excellence is your next conversation
Or not…
Excellence is your next meeting.
Or not.
Excellence is shutting up and listening—really listening.
Or not.
Excellence is your next customer contact.
Or not.
Excellence is saying “Thank you” for something “small.”
Or not.
Excellence is the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize.
Or not.
Excellence is way over-reacting to a screw-up.
Or not.
Excellence is the flowers you brought to work today.
Or not.
Excellence is lending a hand to an “outsider” who’s fallen behind schedule.
Or not.
Excellence is bothering to learn the way folks in finance (or IS or HR) think.
Or not.
Excellence is way “over-preparing” for a 3-minute presentation.
Or not.
Excellence is turning “insignificant” tasks into models of … EXCELLENCE.
Or not.
My translation of this is: take a look at your last five minutes.
Would you say they measure up to the standard of excellence?
What about the next five minutes?
Will you make them excellent?
It’s really easy to get lost in long term plans, or to spend time raking over the past.
But realistically you only have control over right now.
The next five minutes is your best bet for improving your outcomes, whatever they may be.
What can you do in the next five minutes in a more excellent way?
Do some research so that you’re more prepared for that next meeting?
Get up and move around so that you’re more energetic on that call?
Thank someone for something they’ve done for you?
Plan a small gift or surprise for someone else?
You have a choice as to what you do in the next five minutes;
Will you choose excellence? (or eggsellence seeing as it’s the Easter weekend…)
PS – this is my 100th consecutive Weekly Dose of Mental Sunshine so a huge thank you for keeping subscribed…
