It used to be that in the past one looked to people who excelled in given areas as a source of inspiration to fuel the creativity or drive needed to develop their own excellence. However, reality TV has seemed to turn the tables on the concept of excellence so that instead of fixing one’s sights on a great model for inspiration and developing one’s talents and abilities to the best of their individual capacity, people take malicious pleasure in being crowned the “winner” because they are better than someone else while the “loser” is subjected to all manner of vituperation as entertainment. Considering the amount of television watched by impressionable children, what does this teach children who watch these programs? Is the new standard for excellence being remade to mean “I’m better than some other person” as opposed to “I’m operating at my highest level and achieving excellence”? Ten or twenty years from now, will we have a nation of adults who have suckled at the breast of this poisonous mindset who think that in order to succeed or excel it must be at someone else’s expense?
In my heart, I feel there is room for everyone to succeed. The changes brought forth in the 20th century alone show the evolution of inventions and innovations, at one time barely conceivable, being brought to rapid fruition. If “world kind” could create and expand the limits of possibility at that time, why can it not do it now and in the future? If that is the case, why are people fighting over the seemingly few conceivable crumbs of possibility when it has been demonstrated that the inconceivable is attainable?
Take a look inside and challenge yourself to bring forth the excellence you are capable of achieving. Compete with yourself, why limit your potential based on the outside benchmark of someone else?