Strive for Excellence

Strive for Excellence and you won’t have to settle for mediocrity. When I was in my youth I told people that I wanted to be the “best fly tyer living in the world today” and some people said that I was setting a “lofty” goal. When I eventually had a reputation in the fly fishing industry as a well-known fly tyer and had created “famous” fly patterns, I told my son that I set my goals high because by doing so, I would achieve more and go farther than if I had just wanted to “learn to tie flies”. Nobody ever achieved greatness by wanting to be “average” at something. Lance Armstrong did not become a champion by wanting to be competitive. He became a champion by wanting to be the best. Strive for excellence. Even if you don’t become a champion, you will have accomplished more, done better, and you can be satisfied knowing that you did.