Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.

Today, I can understand what must be going through Arnold H. Glasow's mind when he quoted the above statement. I took the first step in my journey towards excellence, moving away from mediocrity. I have been excellent in the past - when I have given those speeches in the debates I have won, when I have got my class of novices together to perform and to win a street play competition, when I have accepted nothing less than perfection from my club teams during certain events or when I have deleted 95% of my photographs because they haven't made the cut. My focus on excellence had reduced only recently in the corporate environment, where the means often don't justify the ends. In some way, the mediocre way of thinking had started seeping into the other activities of my life.

It felt good to make an attempt at being excellent again today. It would be over stating my performance, but I would at least take a great deal of pride in saying that "I put in my best." The amount of effort it took was tremendous considering the circumstances. I had been planning for this day for 6 months, planning for each little detail. I did not want to leave anything to chance. I managed to not leave much to chance eventually, except one small but important aspect. I hope it doesn't cost me the day. 

If I get the desired outcome, I will experience a flurry of emotions. It will probably be one of the best days of my life - only second to falling in love. If I don't, I will at least take pride in the fact, that despite everything that I have seen in the recent past, I haven't let the sea of mediocrity drown the perfectionist in me. Needless to say, the disappointment will be tremendous and probably, I will not get a second chance at doing what I set out for. That's when I will call upon my tenacity.

PS: Thanks everyone who has stood by me in the last few months. I could not have done it without your understanding my passion about the task at hand.