Seeking Excellence

During my ministerial internship, I was required to read a book the name of which eludes me after forty-five years, despite infecting me with its content. The book had a simple premise. If you nurture excellence, you will find it. The idea is a targeted restatement of Jesus’ seek, and you will find.

As you might imagine, living with that principle has brought me both happiness and disappointment commensurate with the degree of success or failure I have experienced. Excellence in any endeavor is a goal not easily obtained, and I do not claim to have attained it. However, I do not consider that sufficient reason to surrender the pursuit of it. Excellence is within everyone’s reach.

Writing excellence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. That’s not a cop out. Those who like Jane Austen may not find the works of Robert Louis Stevenson particularly excellent. Stephen King fans may not find Louisa May Allcot's works the least bit inviting. Nevertheless, they are all excellent writers.

Ironically, even famous writers may not be the best judges of literary excellence. Stephen King threw away the manuscript for Carrie and allowed Rose Madder to be published. I dare say the difference was one of attitude, not skill. An attitude of ever striving for excellence will make the best writer even better. Indifference precludes excellence and destroys creativity.

I believe that, and whenever I am tempted to doubt it, I read a few things I wrote years ago. I don’t claim to be excellent, but I am better than I once was, and I’ll take that for two reasons. First, it helps me realize what I wrote today may not be the “trash” I think it is. It also gives me hope that there is a future in which I may reach as high as “meh”.

Jack LaFountain