The ancient Greeks defined excellence as becoming one’s self – nothing less and nothing more. To become excellent is thus to recognize and fulfill one’s destiny – the recognition and fulfillment being one and the same achievement.
In contemporary America, the pursuit of excellence is often described as self-actualization or success. Both terms diminish the power of excellence – the pursuit of which can drive a person to madness and/or ruin. (Consider the fate of professional athletes, let alone artists.)
Two recent movies, Kings of Pastry and The Pixar Story, are breathtaking reminders of excellence as both awesome and devastating to behold.
The agony of success, indeed.