Excellence
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Excellence is a talent or quality which is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards. It is also used as a standard of performance as measured e.g. through economic indicators.
In modern public relations and marketing, "excellence" is frequently criticized as a buzzword that tries to convey a good impression often without imparting any concrete information (e.g. "center for excellence in ...", "business excellence", etc.).
History
The Ancient Greeks had a concept of arete which meant an outstanding fitness for purpose. This occurs in the works of Aristotle and Homer.
Another related concept was eudaimonia which was the happiness that resulted from a life well-lived, being prosperous and fulfilled.
Practice makes perfect
Studies have shown that the most important way to achieve excellent performance in fields such as sport, music, professions and scholarships is to practice. Achievement of excellence in such fields commonly requires approximately 10 years of dedication, comprising about 10,000 hours of effort.
See also
