This small statement comes to mind all the time. It’s small but true. Why, you ask?

Here is a great story to illustrate the powerful point.

A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same idol?”

“No,” said the sculptor without looking up, “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage.”

The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage?” he asked.

“There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said the sculptor, still busy with his work.

“Where are you going to install the idol?”

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.

“If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, “I know it and God knows it!”

The desire to do your best should not include what others think.  Excellence is a drive that comes from within. Do your best today – not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction. Today’s world will tell you everything is just good enough. Is it YOUR best though?

When exactly is it ever a good reason to not do your best? Never!