Do Your Personal Best

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4

I would rather be known for being excellent than for being the best.

Being the best is all about me. I am better than everyone else. I win and they lose.

Being excellent is about others. They benefit from my excellence. They win. It’s not about me.

Which of these is closer to Paul’s admonition?

• We are going to sell more widgets than anyone else.
• We are going to make the best widget on the market.

You needn’t give up the first at the expense of the second, but giving up the second for the sake of the first is a sad case of misplaced priorities.

If you must compete, compete against yourself.