HI FRIENDS
Until this recent Martin Luther King Jr day, I had never noticed that MLK included what I would call a “spirit of excellence” as such a central part of his message. It’s this idea that we do all things to the best of our ability not so that they will be noticed by others, but precisely because they cannot escape the notice of ourselves. And the achievement of excellence, even in menial tasks, engenders a kind of dignity and satisfaction in a person which lifts the spirit.
Further, it captures this idea that the human person can turn each of life’s ordinary tasks into a sacred practice when undertaken as an offering to the almighty.
It’s a code that has faithfully guided me to craft a purposeful, meaningful life out of whatever circumstances that come my way.
So, here are a few thinklings that capture this spirit.
MLK’S BLUEPRINT FOR YOUR LIFE
“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say ‘here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.’”
Watch it ➔
RAJIV EXPLORES THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE WORLD’S BEST BED MAKERS
Rajiv is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mr Rogers. I love his gentle, honest and practical videos about doing everyday things with great care. This video in particular shows how a spirit of excellence shapes everything that they do in this Swedish bed-making factory.
Watch it ➔
AN INTERVIEW WITH MLK’S FRIEND AND SPEECH WRITER
The interview finished with this banger:
“Commit yourself irredeemably to the pursuit of personal excellence,” he says emphatically. “Be the very best that you can be. If you do that. . . our color becomes more relevant, because we demonstrate ‘black is beautiful’ not as some slogan, but black is beautiful because of its commitment to personal excellence, which has no color.”
Read it ➔
What types of work that I do tend to draw a spirit of excellence out of me?
What aspects of my life could I try to do excellently even though no one else will notice?
