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Reaction Stories
 Achieving Excellence
Every now and then you encounter someone who demonstrates
excellence on the job. It might be an exceptional waitress
who anticipates your every need. Or a manager who generates
both high performance and loyalty on his teams. It could be a
teacher with a knack for unlocking the desire to learn in each
student. Excellence, true excellence, is something we prize
but seldom see. It’s a joy to encounter someone who is truly
excellent at what they do. Why is that so rare? More
importantly, how can you become known as a man or woman who
consistently demonstrates excellence?
One comment that is heard time and again about those who demonstrate
excellence is, "He/she is a natural at it." They don’t seem to
struggle to be excellent; it just flows. That is always a sign of
motivation, and therein lies the first key: Motivation is required
for excellence.
Motivation is what we like to do naturally. It’s like being right
or left-handed. We don’t even think about it. We just write. The
same is true for people known for excellence. They have a group of
motivations that work in concert to help them perform at a higher
level. Like all motivations, these were inborn and are as much a
part of them as being blue-eyed or tall.
But there is a second key: Motivation can be developed. People who
demonstrate excellence have identified their motivations and worked
hard to develop them. They have added knowledge, skill, experience
and practice to consistently produce at the highest levels.
By the way, there is a flip side to these two keys, and it is
this: The best we can be with low motivation is adequate. No
matter how hard we work and desire it, in the long run we will
never be excellent at something without high levels of motivation
in that area. In other words, if we toil in areas where we have low
motivation, we resign ourselves to mediocrity.
Who wants to be mediocre? Who wants to be known as "adequate?"
Wouldn’t you rather have a shot at excellence? The first step to
unlocking your excellence is to know what you do well naturally.
What are your motivations? DO YOU KNOW?
Recommended by Shadow , 11/25/2003.
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ATTITUDES ATTITUDES - POSITIVE & NEGATIVE There is a story told about a young man who, in frontier days was looking for a place to settle down. As he approached the outskirts of a small western town, he came across an elderly rancher and asked, "What kind of people live here?" "What kind of people did you find in the last place you lived?" asked the elderly rancher. "Oh, they were a selfish and unfriendly bunch," replied the young man. "You'll find the same here." said the elderly rancher. A few days later, another young traveler passed near the ranch and, seeing the elderly rancher, he put the same question to him: "What kind of people live in this town?" Again, the elderly rancher replied with the question, "What kind of people were in the town from which you came?" "They were a good group of folks: honest, sincere, friendly. I was sorry to leave them." Replied the young man. "You'll find the same here," said the elderly rancher. A ranch hand, who had heard both conversations, questioned the elderly man: "How could you give two different answers to the same question to two different people?" "Son" said the elderly man,"Everyone carries within himself the environment in which he lives. The one who found nothing good about his previous town will find the same here. The young man who found friends in his former town will find friends here. People and circumstances are to us what we find in them. Seek -- from within yourself -- and ye shall surely find." People's reactions to this story: -
"Most of us try to change other people." -
"We don't have to change others, we need to change ourselves. -
"If you find good, you can find it anywhere you go." What is your reaction to this story? E-Mail Me @ GizmosFunHouse@groups.msn.com and I will post it. Recommended by  RockGizmo, 6/28/2002.
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Working Very Hard A martial arts studentwent to his teacher and said earnestly, "I am devoted to studying your martial system. How longwill it take me to master it." The teacher's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years." People's reactions to this story: - "The student is too eager. The master is trying to tell him that he needs to learn patience first."
- "If you want something bad enough you will work towards it no matter how long it takes."
What is your reaction to this story? E-Mail Me @ GizmosFunHouse@groups.msn.com and I will post it. Recommended by RockGizmo, 6/28/2002.
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