… a personal note: What is excellence?
No, this year will not be different for me because I am doing a lot of new things. That was 2018. I moved. I left a job with a pension, insurance, and 40-hour workweek to become the Executive Director of NEXUS4change. 2019 will be different because the things I am doing will be more intentional.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
— Will Durant
This quite has long been attributed to Aristotle, but was actually coined by philosopher Will Durant in writing about Aristotle [you can read about that in detail here]. I had heard it before. But for some reason, this week it really came to life for me: Excellence does not have to be my greatest ever effort in a singular superhuman achievement that I excel at like no other.
Excellence can be in the things I am already doing. This year I want to habitually be in intention.
For context - and in contrast, I have lived much of my life in a cycle of anticipation of and reaction to how I perceived others to think of me. Growing up in a communist regime makes for some interesting patterns of behavior. My purpose for doing was always focused on others.
But the things I love to do - should be for me. Not haphazardly or hurried, trying to see an angle of how they can also benefit someone else to justify my sense of selfishness. Meditation, reading, planful nutrition, writing, music making, time with my fiancé and our kids can be intentional. I will make them habits. They can become routines, and may even become healthy rituals eventually, so that:
I will know my commitments by my results,
not by what I say my commitments are.
I will own my commitments by owning my results.
— adapted from 15 commitments of conscious leadership by Jim Dethmer
As the Executive Director for NEXUS4change and curator for this blog, I am committed to making this blog and our website a place you come to for value and inspiration. I will own that commitment by owning the results. So I welcome your feedback and ideas. What do you want to read about? What might YOU want to write about right here on this blog? Let us know!
I wish for you a wonderful 2019 with many new healthy rituals. And do consider joining us for one of our webinars or trainings as well as in-person or virtually for the first Great Lakes Exchange of 2019 on Feb. 9.
C. Theodor Stiegler, Executive Director
NEXUS4change