E is for Endeavor to Achieve Excellence by Carol Harrison

 

If I put in the effort and work hard or endeavor as I work on my writing, don’t I want to aim for perfection? Perfection, the ideal in our minds, where we make no mistakes, have amazing writing, and have it loved by everyone at all times, is a lofty goal whose standard remains out of reach. Missing the mark often leads to discouragement, disappointment, and with us being disillusioned. These are accompanied by the fear of failure.

The negative inner voice whispers, “But the negative voice in my head often whispers, “But if you can’t have perfect writing and be the best of the best, maybe settling for good enough will work.”  Then the whispers grow into a loud chatter, “That piece of writing isn’t good enough to even show people, let alone submit it anywhere. After all, you’re not good enough at anything.”

Why should I settle for the mediocrity of just getting by, just being good enough. Somehow this also makes the negative voices chatter about failure. They make it seem like anything I write must be substandard. I’m left with feeling like I’m trying to run a marathon carrying heavy weights of negativity with me every step of the way. What I’d love is to have wings to soar above mediocrity.

Striving for perfection and settling for good enough lead to a trap called comparison that nips creativity and courage in the bud and pulls us into a self-critical negative attitude. I’ve been guilty of that too many times. I compare myself to authors I admire and think they must have found the secret to success and perfection in their writing journey that I’ll never accomplish. Yet when I’m honest, I know I’ve forgotten that every writer is on a journey and I don’t necessarily see all the hills and valleys they’ve encountered or even know where along the journey they are at this moment.

I have a choice. My attitude needs adjusting as I endeavor to achieve excellence in my writing. Colin Powell said, “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.”  

Excellence means doing the very best I can with the ability, training, and experience I have at this time. It also means remaining teachable so I can continue to learn new skills, improve ones I already know, and listen to critiques of those further along the journey than I am.

Some questions I think need to be asked to ascertain if something has achieved excellence for us include:

-         Has it improved from previous pieces?

-        Have I been willing to allow someone further along in the writing journey to read and honestly critique my work?

-        Have I taken the critiques of others into consideration and revised the writing accordingly?

-        Have I been impatient to finish and it falls short of the standard I should be at for the training, skills and abilities I currently have?

-        Is it the best I can make it right now?

The recipe for being successful in my endeavor for excellence involves attitude. Add in heaping quantities of endurance and effort. Liberally mix in enthusiasm for the craft of writing, for learning opportunities and mentoring. Be sure to find someone to add encouragement to the mixture. Leave out excuses and try to escape from the hard work mechanisms. Those negative attitudes take away from the richness of excellence.

In the books of Timothy, Paul is instructing Timothy on many facets of being a pastor, a church leader, and a follower of Jesus. In the Message, 2 Timothy 2: 15 says, “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.”

In Colossians 3: 17 (ESV) says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Paul repeats this attitude we should have in Colossians 3:23 (ESV) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Everything means my attitude, my life, and my writing too, I need to ask myself one more question. “Have I tried my best as I endeavored to achieve excellence?” To answer yes means I have put in the effort, energy, and enthusiasm to glorify God by not settling for less than I know how to do at this moment in time.

 

Carol Harrison, from Saskatoon, SK, knows she needs to encourage and be encouraged as she continues to endeavor to achieve excellence. She is grateful for each writer she has met and learned a lot from.