"We are what we repeatedly do . . . excellence, therefore, isn't just an act, but a habit and life isn't just a series of events, but an ongoing process of self-definition."

- Adapted from Aristotle

I have chosen this adaptation of a quote from the great philosopher, Aristotle, as this week's selection because it reminds us how important the seemingly mundane experiences of life really are, and how, in raising our awareness of these aspects, we might become more influential in our lives and the lives of others.

For example, notice how the selection begins: "We are what we repeatedly do." As with many great quotes, much is said in these few words. In fact, one could say that the wisdom from the entire selection is reflected in this six-word phrase. Of course, this speaks to the power and influence of our behavior in defining who we are. However, if it were just about this, the phrase would have been written, "We are what we do." The difference is the word "repeatedly," and in this word lies our ability to learn and grow. For example, if we do something that does not truly reflect who we see ourselves as or who we want to be, then we can choose not to repeat it or to change that behavior, and thus learn from our mistakes. By the same token, if we do not learn from, and thus repeat this behavior again and again, we will still be defining ourselves but the definition will be less than purposeful.

Of course, one way to define ourselves on purpose is to ask purposeful questions, such as, "is this who I really am and/or want to be?" Notice that this question is different from, "Did I have a right to _______?" or "Well, what do they expect when they treat me like________?" Therefore, if we truly want to become influential in our lives and the lives of others, we must begin by ensuring that we are asking the sort of questions that give us valuable information as to how our behavior is serving us, such as, "Is this the sort of behavior I will want to repeat?"

The next aspect of the quote is valuable because it goes beyond mediocrity and speaks to the concept of excellence ("excellence, therefore, isn't just an act, but a habit") Again, this can be very valuable when seeking to become successful in that here, excellence isn't defined as an uncommon event rarely achieved, but "a habit." I love this perspective because it suggests that we could bring the concept of excellence into every aspect of our lives and make it so much a part of who we are that we don't even have to think about it.

The final segment is of my doing, "and life isn't just a series of events, but an ongoing process of self-definition." I wanted to both summarize and emphasize the message in a way that allowed those of us who want to become more purposeful, successful, and influential to really understand the importance of seeing what we do (especially what we repeatedly do) as an act of self-definition. So, basically, here we have a bit of wisdom that when looked at carefully, seems to give us very valuable information about how we can not only learn and even grow from our mistakes, but also how we can make the pursuit of excellence part of the process. Nice combination, don't you think?

However, there is one interesting fact about this quote that we have yet to discuss. This has to do with not only who said it, but when it was said. In other words, it's not as if this is brand new thinking, or that the wisdom contained therein has been hidden somewhere and is just now being revealed to the world. This was said by Aristotle, one of history's most quoted philosophers, and was given to us OVER 2000 YEARS AGO!!!!!! So, here we have a powerful bit of wisdom from a very credible source and yet, I would bet it's safe to say that looking at our habits as good information about how we are defining ourselves (not to mention making excellence so automatically a part of everything we do, that we don't even have to think about it) is not a commonly practiced way of life.

So, what can we do? Well, if we truly believe that "we are what we repeatedly do," then we could begin to repeat certain behavior, thoughts, emotions, etc. on purpose, with the goal of their eventually becoming so automatic that they become habits! We could focus not only on how we do our job, but how we interact with our family, drive to work, speak to our colleagues, speak about our colleagues, etc., and thus every aspect of life could become an ongoing opportunity to define who we are.

Further, if we decide that we want the quality of these habits to be exceptionally high, we can make excellence the standard toward which we strive. Then, as we repeatedly define ourselves on purpose through our decision and determination to only repeat words, thoughts, and actions that reflect our excellence, then the result will take care of itself. Because, as is true today and has been true for over 2000 years... "we are what we repeatedly do."

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill