nine out of ten anne jackson friends would agree: i am both competitive and a perfectionist. those characteristics can be strengths when used correctly. used irresponsibly, however, and they can beat me up faster than chuck norris on red bull.
it’s always been easy for me to confuse perfectionism and excellence. one lie many of us believe is for something to be excellent, it has to be perfect. no mistakes. after all – perfection isn’t subjective. when something is completely flawless, everyone agrees.
excellence is subjective. but generally speaking, i think we’ve been taking the idea of excellence and bending it far out of shape.
let me give an example. i was recently asked by someone to speak for a general session at a conference. i talked to a couple of friends about it, who all encouraged me to do it. i prayed about it.
i emailed the conference organizer to talk to him a little more about the opportunity. i wanted all of our expectations to be clear. he shared with me his thoughts, and then shared some of what his audience expects.
in short, based on feedback he had received through the years, his crowd expects perfection. if someone is “almost excellent,” they let him know very clearly that the person should not have been a general session speaker. i appreciated his honesty in communicating what his audience expects.
i actually kind of felt ashamed for being that audience at one time. being the one writing those notes.
although i doubt any of us are perfect at anything we do, i know for a fact i am not your typical conference speaker. i’m pretty much just me, but up on stage. a little quiet. really laid back. deliberate. not charismatic. simple. my nerves show through just a bit. (if you’ve heard me speak before, please feel free to confirm or deny my observation).
when i speak, am i pursuing excellence? yes. i try and pursue it in all i do. i pray, i prepare, i study, i practice & rehearse. however, if i were to speak at this conference, based on history, would this audience think i’m excellent? probably not.
in our church world, it’s easy for us to see something that isn’t perfect, and deem it as not being excellent.
one of the best definitions i’ve heard of excellence is doing the best you can with what you have. it is totally between you and what god does through you.
i am beginning to think that excellence has nothing to do with what other people think. or does it?
your thoughts?
edit: i put this in the comments but wanted to make sure it was clarified for those who might not read them…I have nothing but THE utmost respect for this person and the conference. I have enjoyed being an attendee before. I am totally honored they even thought of me! I was thankful we were able to clarify where he is coming from, where I was coming from and decided it wasn?t the best fit. And that is a-okay by me!
I am speaking from more of an audience standpoint. Because I have sat there and thought, ?this guy does not need to be talking!? Does he? Who am I to judge??
