Excellence is an intrinsic feeling that comes about when you dedicate yourself to constant improvement upon which you grow as a person and can finally feel fulfilled.

1. Striving for Excellence WIthout Beating Yourself Up
It was another disappointing loss!
I just got home from a frustrating loss to one of the top soccer teams
in our division. It was a game that saw our guys miss a penalty shot
and plenty of easy scoring opportunities, while making the "usual"
defensive mistakes giving our opponents ample scoring chances.
The final score: Toronto Blues FC (our team) 2 - Peterborough City 3
Now, I usually get pretty pissed off when I play soccer since, as a
goalie, I'm constantly directing my teammates and ensuring proper
defensive shape, only to see my efforts get flushed down the drain
game after game because of the same errors we continue to make.
It is frustrating...believe me!
The other thing that often bothers me is that I can be very hard on
myself when I let in a goal or don't to something as well as it could
have been done. In short, I'm a high achiever who is very self-critical
- a recipe for sure unhappiness!
Very seldom do I win according to my definition of "winning" - which is
in essence a perfect game. As such, I spend a lot time playing the
sport I love in misery and frustration. No wonder I stopped playing
soccer professionally!
Excellence is Good Enough

2. The thing to realize, as I have in the last few years, is that the pursuit
of perfection is like chasing a movement target. It just doesn't
happen!
Perfection does not exist. It is an illusion created by our own sets of
rules and expectations based what we think should happen in any
given situation.
But we can be excellent!
The pursuit of excellence should be the goal. This is the pursuit of
being the best you can be in any given situation. It is the true test of
being a champion. Excellence is leaving the playing field
knowing that you gave 100% of yourself - regardless of the
result.
Excellence is an intrinsic feeling that comes about when you dedicate
yourself to constant improvement upon which you grow as a person
and can finally feel fulfilled.
Excellence differs from perfection in that it allows for error. It allows
you to make mistakes to learn from. The key is to be aware of these
lessons and grow from them.
On the other hand, perfection is black or white. You're either perfect
or you're not! Pretty hard to live up to.
The problem with striving to be perfect is that too much time is spent
in "self-criticism". We beat ourselves for everything little thing that
doesn't go according to our "plan". In the end, we never win and
constantly feel like a failure. Over time, this self abuse leads to a
weakening of our spirit, self-esteem, and joy for life! We feel that no

3. matter what we do, it (and we) will never be good enough - never be
perfect enough.
The pursuit of perfection reflects our feeling of not being (good)
enough.
Instead, the pursuit of excellence highlights our ambition to be the
best we can be, do the best we can do, and give the most of
ourselves. What more can we really ask of ourselves?
Strive to be excellent, not perfect!
Can you relate???