We hear the term excellence all the time in relation to sport, commerce, management and education. In these fields and often with huge budgets, centres of excellence are created building programs in training, research, development and production. The desire for excellence is usually synonymous with success, winning and competition. But is this really what practicing excellence is about?

If we thought about excellence as an ongoing practice then we would be constantly involved in the practice of excellence rather than the pursuit of excellence. The pursuit of excellence implies something hasn't happened yet and we haven't quite arrived. But if we think of excellence as a practice then we are 'there' all the time. Taking this position helps us understand the practice of excellence is a process not just as a result.

Excellence is not about winning in competition, rather, in winning and in competition we can be excellent. The practice of excellence itself is the achievement. Rewards that stem from the practice are bonus. The obstacles that present themselves in the pursuit of excellence are opportunities.

I have begun to think of practicing excellence this way:

Practicing excellence may be thought of, not as an arrival at a destination but as a constant attentiveness and desire for the best journey possible.

So what are the ingredients that lead to this practice? As an individual, not necessarily funded or supported by infrastructure and fraternity, how do I actually practice excellence? What activities or behaviours can I pursue that ensure the practice of excellence?

The first position I need to take is that all parts of my life are connected and it is counter-productive and all but impossible to pursue the practice of excellence in, (for example) my artistic pursuits but not in my relationships. The ingredients to the practice cross over from one aspect of my life to another and are transferable and supportive. This gives me an insight into at least two essential ingredients – attention and desire.

Even if I don't know exactly how to practice excellence – I can in the very least observe the desire for growth or the desire to be more satisfied. Seeking satisfaction could be argued in itself to be the beginning of the practice of excellence. If follows that in keeping my attention on all aspects of my practice I am increasing the potential for improvement and in turn, for satisfaction.

Perhaps here, the next ingredient to the practice might be added – listening. To practice excellence I must listen to my feelings, intuitions, insights and first thoughts. If I continue a practice that is less than satisfying, for example – if I continue to take a short cut in the rehearsal process or if I make choices that go strongly against the intuitive – I begin to practice ignorance, that is, I am ignoring the information that is being presented.

I refer to my teaching as one of the sites of my creative practice. And I know full well the feeling that comes when I have taught a class with due attention, preparation and commitment – I tend to make discoveries, glimpse wonderment through spontaneity and enjoy great satisfaction knowing that we have all enjoyed a deep learning experience.

Please note that I am not referring to skill levels in the various pursuits as I am taking this as a given. Our skill level is what it is and whether we are expert or novice we can still practice excellence.

So far this discussion has listed three ingredients that in my opinion contribute to the practice of excellence. Attention, Desire and Listening. These ingredients coupled with an understanding that the practice of excellence needs to be seen, as a process and not a result, should be seen as an opening offer and by no means complete.

Rather than continue to propose more ingredients I would like to throw it open to the reader and ask you to consider adding to this list.

I would be most grateful if you would take the time to consider any or all of the following questions. In the next article I would like to speak to your ideas and answers and synthesize where I can:

1. What are the principle ingredients to the practice of excellence?
2. How are these principles transferable to various arenas?
3. Does the practice of excellence begin with a mind-set?
4. Is the practice of excellence directly connected to health and well-being?
5. Does the practice of excellence have a set of pre-requisites such as passion, dedication and focus?
6. Does the practice of excellence bring human kind closer to a sense of purpose and deep satisfaction?
7. Is the practice of excellence and an individual's personal legend synonymous?

Editors' Note:
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