#023 – Be Spotless
Be Spotless: the indispensable condition of perfection. Few live without some weak point, either physical or moral, which they pamper because they could easily cure it. The keenness of others often regrets to see a slight defect attaching itself to a whole assembly of elevated qualities, and yet a single cloud can hide the whole of the sun. There are likewise patches on our reputation which ill-will soon finds out and is continually noticing. The highest skill is to transform them into an ornament. So Caesar hid his natural defects with the laurel.
I am sure that there are many people who will take this passage on face value, considering the final line about Caesar hiding his defects. I believe this passage has a deeper meaning. We all live with imperfections. The key is to work on what we have to make it better. Stop wasting time on the little weak-points and start spending time on the aspects which bring you value. Often in coaching we focus on what our teams or players are doing poorly in an attempt to correct them. In that process we tend to neglect the good that we are doing, and those aspects begin to suffer. Why not try to improve our good to great, and not focus on our struggles as much. While there is value working on the “bad”, there is greater value working even harder on the good.
This blog series is based on the book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracián. This book was written for advice on how to achieve personal and professional success. This blog series aims to visit the points of wisdom and put them in the spotlight of the coaching and education lens.
