Why Passion is Important: Excellence

(This is the eleventh installment of a twelve part series on passion.)

A few years ago, Beth had to have a root canal at a local endodontist’s office. I have never been treated like royalty at a doctor’s office. We were welcomed at the door by one of his many warm and personable assistants. She told us everything that would happen and what to expect. They took Beth back immediately. After a few minutes, the doctor came out and introduced himself to me. We spoke for a minute about church and mission trips. He explained the procedure to me and told me exactly what to expect. He offered me a soft drink, coffee, and a computer if I wanted to get online while I waited. I said, “Yes” to coffee and figured that someone would point me toward the coffee pot.

A few minutes later, another assistant asked me about the coffee. “I’ll get it myself if you’ll just point the way to me,” I said. “No,” she insisted to bring it to me. A few minutes later my coffee came to me on a silver platter in a real coffee cup, not styrofoam like I expected (and I would have been perfectly pleased with that, by the way.) That’s it pictured above.

Beth’s procedure was painless and she left there a little dopey from the sedation. Another assistant escorted her out to the car in a wheelchair and we were gone in just under two hours. I don’t want to have a root canal but if you ever have to accompany someone else to have one performed, I hope it’s at an office like this one.

The doctor’s visit was a reminder of the importance of excellence. Excellence gets your attention.

I believe that when you are passionate about something you want to do it with excellence. When you care deeply about something you want it to be a quality experience. Whether you’re a Disney imagineer, a disc golfer, or a discount tire company. If you’re passionate about it, you’ll work on it until it is finely tuned.

This is not the same as perfection. Webster’s defines excellence as “among the finest of its kind.” Perfection means flawless or complete. While the ultimate goal of your passion maybe perfection, the bottom line is perfection is hard to achieve. Excellence, i.e., being among the finest of your kind, is easier to achieve.

The endodontist we visited wasn’t perfect but I dare say their service was among the best in town. Disney strives for perfection but they still depend on humans to perform flawlessly.

That’s not likely to happen.

But their pursuit of perfection leads them to being the best entertainment company in the world. You know you’re going to get a quality product from Disney.

Another reason why passion is important is because it causes you to strive for excellence. When people experience excellence, it gets their attention. When you get their attention, you can share your passion with them.

Have you had any excellent experiences?

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