Guest Author - Helen V. Calalang-Javier, MSN, RNC, IBCLC

Excellence is what everyone seeks in life, isn’t it. Is it attainable? Is it just a concept or a mindset? What is it for me? The concept of excellence is my motivation to become the best of everything, to be “the crème du la crème,” just as winning a gold medal and striving for perfection. It is an expectation that I would like to achieve with persistence, perseverance, and passion in whatever I do.

Excellence is maintaining high standards and high expectations in accomplishing things. The concept of professional excellence is the driving force to challenge our self as well as influencing others to do the same. My vision of professional excellence is to work towards perfection and to be the best in everything I do.

This concept and driving force needs to be shared to others and to teach others to pursue excellence. As Blanchard and Shula said, “ If you don’t seek perfection, you can never reach excellence.”

I defined excellence as a condition of excelling, surpassing goodness, virtue or merit. It is a status ones acted on to be real. In pursuit for excellence, it must be driven by ones values rather than just driven by ones goals. Goals can change but values are stable and solid. Values become real when demonstrated and reflected in virtues.

As a professional nurse, serving the patient to the best of my ability is what I value most and I want others to do the same. The commitment to maintain ones values and provide the quality of care is the level of expectation that promote excellence. The concept of excellence is dynamic and evolving. A state of status quo, normalcy, or complacency is often an indication that one is not in pursuit of excellence.

Pursuing excellence is an inherent process. One must have positive attitude, initiative, and courage to face what lies beyond to reach excellence. It is a matter of choice to pursue it or not. It is a journey to constantly fight against all odds, to challenge for new offerings or new tasks, to embrace changes, and chaos that comes. It is about winning ones own fears, and moving on.

The journey is not always smooth no matter how much perfection is strived for. The outcome may not always be positive but it is suggestive to keep on going and to keep on modifying things until the positive outcome is met. What matters is the outcome and taking the risks.

Pursuing excellence is a total change of mindset towards success and failure. The price of pursuing excellence is ultimate self-gratification and to publicly recognized it or not.

This goes with the famous quote according to John Garner, “ Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinary well.”