Why Striving for Excellence Matters Even When No One Else Notices

An old story, but worth recalling!! :-)

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol. 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 will know it."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and excellence.

Sardar Sahab,

Thank you for the thought. I will definitely incorporate it into my life and will always remember this. But is it really worth it when a lot of cost and time are involved? Is it possible practically? Please suggest, what should a professional do if such mistakes happen?

Thank you.

Hi Peer,

Really, it's excellent. It's not only for recall. If one wants to excel in their endeavors, they should always keep this story in mind.

Regards,
Vijay

Hi, sir. Good night. Can you do a small favor for me? Can you tell me how I can get the certificate from Cite HR?

Hi Peer Mohammad,

Thank you for the beautiful story. Your story inspired me to share mine. Here it goes:

A man lying on his deathbed promised God that if he survived, he would sell his palatial house and give away the money to the poor. Miraculously, the sick man began to recover and eventually got well. He remembered his promise but could not bring himself to part with his house. So he thought of a trick. He advertised to sell his house for only a token sum of one silver coin on the condition that anyone who bought the house would also buy his dog for a million dollars. Very soon, he found a buyer. He sold the house, put the million dollars in his pocket, and gave the silver coin to charity.

Friends, how often we keep fooling ourselves when nobody is watching us. The real test of honesty is carried out in the face of temptation.

Roshansuhail/09891358681 / [https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cm9zaGFuc3VoYWlsQGdtYW lsLmNvbQ==](https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cm9zaGFuc3VoYWlsQGdtYW lsLmNvbQ==)

Dear Abhishek,

The message of the story is misunderstood. The story is not about optimization; it is about self-realization. The message behind the story is to give full effort with quality consciousness and be alert when finishing.

Regards,
Rakes

There is clear merit in views on both sides. If I were in the business of selling idols, I would rather have customer perception and cost-effectiveness as key drivers. Then, I should sell the first idol and not start working on the second unless I have a repeat order.

But if I were working for myself, then I am the customer, and the answer "I will know" clearly brings that out. No cost or effort is high for self-satisfaction.

As Neeraj said, Can all of you share the various ways to earn money through the Internet? I'm seeing lots of advertisements to earn money online, but I don't know whether they are genuine. So, guys and girls, share information and ideas so that we can earn money (which may be useful during recession, job cuts, etc.). Cheers, Sankar_MBA.

Dear Peer Mohammed Sahib,

After a very long time, I am writing to you in response to this story which you have posted. What lesson you have derived from this story is my firm belief. I am a firm believer in QUALITY in whatever one does. I fully agree with you; QUALITY is your own personal belief in it.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful story.

Col L S Chadha

[QUOTE=M. Peer Mohamed Sardhar; 568445]
An old story, but worth recalling!! :-)

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol. 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 will know it."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your satisfaction and excellence. Very true and motivating story.