Doing excellent work. Mastering skills. Striving to be better or best.
Excellent work is a truly wonderful thing to experience.
I have had the opportunity to observe mastery of work and the gratification and other rewards work-mastery provides. I have worked with amazing people and had the good fortune to be part of amazing business teams. When I observe business people settling for less, sometimes much less, it gnaws at me. I know what they are missing. And it troubles me to stand by and watch.
Why?
Why should you strive to excel at work?
1. The Feeling of Satisfaction: Positive feelings warm us and enliven us. When we know we have excelled at a work-task we feel satisfaction. Everyone feels that way when they do a task really well. Think back to your childhood. Remember winning a race, getting a high mark in school, hitting that home run, drawing a wonderful picture, singing well...and other such achievements. There is much gratification in work well done...even small achievements create lasting memories.
2. The Comfort of Belonging: Recognition by other people energizes us. In our hearts, we are all social beings. When other people compliment us or recognize our work contributions we feel pleasure. We feel like we belong. We feel positive. This causes us to strive to achieve even more. Communities play a huge role in our lives: from family, to neighbourhood, to school, to city, to country. We learn this when we are young and it sticks with us. When at work, we feel most-comfortable when others recognize our good work...and when we extend to them similar recognition. When at work, we are most energized when we are part of a group that achieves and recognizes individual actions and successes.
3. The Power of Confidence: Self-confidence happens when we know we can handle situations and actions. And, better than anything else, baby action steps pave the path for unshakable self-confidence. You have watched little ones learn how to walk...perhaps a brother or sister when you were young...perhaps your own children. With each tiny step, with each little stumble, with each return to the standing position, with each start over and try again...confidence is built until, over time, walking becomes natural and easy. The same applies to work tasks. With planned practice work skills grow. With errors and trying again we learn how to generate better results. With effort and time work tasks are mastered. And, when we step back and celebrate just how far we have come we gain and reinforce self-confidence.
You know these 3 states of mind.
You have experienced them.
You have enjoyed them.
It is within your ability to experience them to a greater degree. That is why excellent work is a truly wonderful thing.