Sustained Excellence

Sustained excellence. 

I just read this phrase in a Vern Gambetta blog post.  It's a challenging concept and one that I think is worthwhile to structure a life around.  Be it sustained excellence in our relationships, work, or hobbies, it is both a meaningful and commendable pursuit.  What does it take to maintain excellence?  Are the tools used to cultivate excellence the same tools to sustain excellence?  What comes first, the sustaining or excellence part?  I don't think there is a definitive answer or singular path for people to follow.  Perhaps, this is why it is so challenging...it is often misunderstood from the outside.  I think there are a few commonalities in these varying paths.

1.)  Excellence is as much a state of mind as it is a state of habit or action.
2.)  Excellence-even sustained excellence-will look different at different points of your life.
3.)  Excellence is often misunderstood by those on the outside.
4.)  Sustaining excellence is perhaps more commendable and impressive than achieving a moment of excellence.
5.)  Excellence, like all things in life, ebbs and flows. 
6.)  Achieving excellence requires diligence and self-confidence.
7.)  Sustaining excellence requires diligence and self-confidence.
8.)  When excellence overrides perspective it is no longer sustainable excellence.