Being a Bit Better
As I look back on this past week, I see such evidence of how easy it is for our ideas to largely stay disconnected from our actions. I probably had more than thirty conversations with people who were espousing certain theories of action, but were living incongruent with their own impassioned pleas of what “our” conduct should ubiquitously look like. This isn’t the first time that I have recognized this tendency. I wish that I could find in my own life greater faithfulness to my ideas of how I should live. There are moments that somehow I feel justified in expressing outrage with this condition shared by all, and sometimes I do regardless of my consciousness of personal infidelity. My question is what links together intention and right actions that produce results in a timely fashion? In brief: our best effort in every moment. I have heard it said that excellence is doing things a little bit more, a little bit better than I just did it. Think about how different our lives would look as we practiced with a discipline toward just being a bit better than our last effort. As I look at it, the beginning point of improvement is in acknowledging reality as it is . . . even if it is merely the gap between our ideas and our actions. I think therefore I am, or as I act, I am?
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D. Beyer said,
June 13, 2006 @ 12:38 am
I would equate excellence more strongly with “our best effort in every moment” rather than defining it as “doing things a little bit more, a little bit better than I just did it.” Why? Because “our best effort in every moment” is rooted in our values while “doing things a little bit more, a little bit better than I just did it” is rooted in our will. “Our best action in every moment” is rooted in a decision that we have made that comes from our values and is reflected in our character. Not every moment is a shining one. Not every day is greeted with the same energy or confidence. However, I can still choose to live bringing my best effort to every moment. I can still live by my values even when I am unable to out do my previous efforts. This frees me to believe that sustained excellence is really possible. Also, true integrity with this view of excellence (not just saying the words but truly bringing ones best to that moment) will undoubtably lead to the result of often “doing things a little bit more, a little bit better than I just did it.” From this view, I can continue to pursue my ideas with action without fearing failure. Why? Because I have made a decision to bring my best to each moment. Failure is not something that I can control. This also brings the realization that some failures are excellent.
However, when excellence is too much defined as “doing things a little bit more, a little bit better than I just did it”, I am trapped by an unsustainable standard. If I just hit the ball 400 feet, then the next time needs to be 405, then 415, and so on. To achieve excellence this way demands constant improvement. I get stuck on a performance grid that is impossible to maintain. I begin to feel the pressure to have to be “on” all the time. To be “off” in any way becomes unacceptable. While you can “will” such performance for a while, I haven’t seen anyone who has been able to sustain it for a lifetime. Failure becomes inevitable. When there is a growing sense that failure is inevitable, you will also find a growing gap between ideas and action.
So could it be that the gap between our ideas and our actions could signify that we still too often live out of willpower and performance rather than values? Values have to be represented in our actions to be values. “I can do no other!” Willpower, however, is often zapped by the fear of failure. I can think of many times when my ideas and actions didn’t match because my willpower tank was too empty. It simply wasn’t worth the effort or the risk of failure.
Could this difference between living from values and living by willpower also explain why in today’s world leaders are choosing character first, then competence? Think of how many companies have crashed over putting up false performance numbers. This also represents the human result of the performance grid, when we can’t out do ourselves, we lie.
Lamont Moon said,
June 16, 2006 @ 4:06 am
I really like D. Beyer’s above comments! Maybe another question for the mix is: “What is larger and more important than both my will and values?” What do I need to join, or recognize that I am already joined with, that will incorporate my contributions of self and practice? When I make a distinction of what is me and mine to hold and do, I miss the power of the refining and larger fire found only in walking into the alchemist’s flames that blends the pieces of depression and failure with strength and purity. Only until this is done, this being given to something bigger than just me, will I ever see the ordinary, everyday forms transformed into the exquisite and rare.