Goal and Vision for Work

“All my life as a musician, I have striven for perfection.  It has always eluded me.  I surely had an obligation to make one more try.”

I have never forgotten these words-they made an indelible impression on me.  Verdi, when he was my age, that was eighteen, was of course already a seasoned musician.  I had no idea what I would become, except that I knew by that time that I was unlikely to be a success exporting cotton textiles.  

At eighteen, I was as immature, as callow, as naive as an eighteen-year old can be.  It was not until fifteen years later, when I was in my early thirties, that I really knew what I am good at and where I belong.  But I then resolved that, whatever my life’s work would be, Verdi’s words would be my lodestar.  I then resolved that if I ever reached an advanced age, I would not give up, but would keep on.  In the meantime, I would strive for perfection even though, as I well knew, it would surely always elude me.

ACTION POINT: Strive for perfection in your work knowing that it will always elude you.