My business partner sent me this article called, The Inside Story: 5 Secrets To Pixar’s Success. A brief and enlightening read.  Point number 5 is the one that really floored me, though.   I’ve pasted it below:

Hire for Excellence.
When Pixar is evaluating potential hires they look for three traits: humor, the ability to tell a story, and an example of excellence. These aren’t unique qualities to assess in applicants, but how excellence is defined is not that common. It doesn’t matter what you are excellent at, just that you have reached a level of excellence. It’s important that you know what excellence feels like and what it takes to achieve it. It could be gardening, jujitsu, or cooking. The main thing is you’ve had a taste of excellence and will know how to get there again.

I suppose if you read this blog frequently, it makes sense that this appeals to me. But that being said, I sometimes don’t think I really get the taste of excellence often enough. So many things get in the way of tasting that in my day-to-day life.  Why do I allow that?

What does excellence feel like? And when is the last time I felt it?

My business partner posted this to his Facebook wall.  When I saw the preview image was a muscle-bound behemoth I was thinking that maybe his account got hacked, but what I watched was truly a punch to the gut. This video is speaking right to my core: if you want to improve, if you want to change, if you want to reach new heights — you have to give your very best at everything you do.  Very few even aspire to make this a reality.  I know I haven’t… how can I start doing that today?

Baby steps, I suppose.  But being your best means not settling, making sacrifices and taking roads less travelled.  Ultimately, it means denying myself.  Tough stuff. But it starts with every decision.