Excellence

If there is one word that describe us humans, that word is mediocre. So what does it mean to pursue excellence?

If there is one word that describe us humans, that word is mediocre. Most of us are mediocre at almost everything we do. I am a mediocre cook, employee, student, cricketer, friend, husband, and father. By now, you must have noticed, my writing is mediocre too.

Excellence is rare. It dazzles. It makes you take notice. 

Our mediocrity is why we find olympics, sports, music so fascinating. We can’t help but notice when we see someone performing at the peak of human ability. We are awed. We want more. Serena, Bolt, Phelps, Nadal, Federer, Rahman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, we want more. These freaks are the exceptions that prove the rule. Their performances seem more amazing if you have ever tried to play a sport or a musical instrument in your life. You know what your best efforts look like. In contrast, what you see on the tv is miles ahead. You can’t do much but gobble it all up in absolute wonder and amazement.

It is easier to rise above mediocrity in things we enjoy. But most of us will spend our entire lives figuring out what we enjoy. That’s not something anyone has time for. So the best way forward is to try to become better at almost everything that we do. Learn how stuff works. And then try to do it better. You won’t have to guess if you are getting better. The world will tell you. Or not. Either way, you will know.

There is a difference in pursuing excellence and seeking perfection. It is the timing of the question - “Can I do this better?”. For perfection, you ask this question before you act. This prevents you from taking action. When you are seeking excellence, you ask this question after the act, and iterate. Perfection will cripple you. Excellence, on the other hand, will free you. It will make you explore yourself like never before. It will make you test your limits. The pursuit of perfection hampers you by asking what will people think. The pursuit of excellence doesn’t care. Subtract human voices and what do you hear? Can you do it better, again?

A lot of times we use proxies or mental shortcuts to detect excellence. Do enough people like this performance or piece of art? Must be good then! Does this person I admire like this or endorse this? Must be good then! This is why influencers exist. And this is also why there is a whole economy of purchasing likes, and followers on social media.

Excellence is conspicuous by its absence on social media. We keep seeing average stuff on all our timelines. We have fooled the algorithm in believing that the most liked content is the best content. The algorithm doesn’t know the complex social reasons and barter systems behind a simple like (like for like, follow for follow, this for that). Only once in a while does the truly brilliant stuff make its way through the sludge of our timelines. This happens when hundreds of thousands like something with no expectation of getting anything in return. This happens when they see something excellent.

So if you truly believe in this message, you will like this post. I will then proceed to like yours. And we will happily be mediocre, together.