EXCELLENCE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

In America, we live in a pyramidal society, where there are lots of people at the bottom of the pyramid and a few people at the top. The people at the bottom are barely making ends meet from day to day, simply living from hand to mouth. The people at the top are those who are prospering and thriving. In every community

and every geographic area, there are lots of people at the bottom and fewer people at the top. Many of the people at the top started at the bottom but rose to the top. Why? Because they refused to settle for mediocrity. They pursued excellence and began to rise.

It’s the Crème de la Crème Principle. The cream will rise to the top. I saw Oprah Winfrey on one of the nightly interview shows and she was asked how, from a broken home and from being a troubled teen, she had risen to her status as one of the most powerful women in television. Her answer was that she made a commitment to pursue excellence in everything she did. Initially, she did not look like a television or movie star. She was not svelte or thin or overly glamorous, but she pursued excellence with a passion.
And excellence is like truth. You can push excellence down, try to cover it up, or try to ignore it. But no matter what you do to it, it always rises to the top. We must always pursue excellence in all that we do. Strive for excellence and your dreams will start to rise to the top!

-Willie Jolley, excerpt from the book, It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life