A couple weeks ago we talked about the subject of quality in English class. So in between posts on the Poisonwood Bible I want to write about my beliefs on quality and related topics such as success and my own belief in excellence. But before I get started, I should explain the two usages of the word "quality".
"Do you have the quality of having quality?":
A bit of confusion eliminated
When we first started to talk about quality in class, I had some confusion over the usage of the word "quality". When you talk about the qualities of...say...a musical performance, you think of the tone, expression, rhythm, intonation, etc. So when we were asked the difficult question of what quality was I thought "A quality is an important aspect, it's really not that complicated!".
But as it turned out that it wasn't that simple and we were actually looking at the other usage of the word "quality". That would be as an adjective: to say "something is/has quality" is different from saying "something has the quality of _______". That second definition is what I will be talking about in the next section. So when I said "excellence is the quality of doing your best" back in "What do I believe in?" I was talking about a different kind of "quality".
What makes something quality?
What makes something quality? I believe that quality is the idea of putting your best effort into something. This makes it similar to excellence in that both are about comparing yourself to no one else but yourself, and about doing the best that you can. However, quality is different from excellence and success because they focus on different parts of the same idea. Quality focuses on the process while both excellence and success focuses on the outcome.
The benefits of a quality mentality are that there is no "failure" except for the failure to have quality. In contrast, with the success mentality failure tends to be something that is a constant fear, and with the excellence mentality failure exists but it is merely a stepping stone on the pathway to success. (If I have confused anyone, success is the final outcome of both excellence and success mentalities, however the two mentalities are different in how they go about reaching success)
With quality, there is no failure because even if you end up with the success or excellence possible outcome of failure, you know that you've given the best you have and that is all that you could possibly do. Something that is quality is not necessarily the best/most/biggest/greatest/etc. Because something that shows those qualities (oh, there's the double meaning again XD) is something that is superior. However, if the superior entity has been created without great and fruitful effort, the best that was possible, it will not show quality.
Something showing quality will logically show excellence, but will something that shows excellence show quality? This will be a topic for a later time.
Showing posts with label The mentalities of a process. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The mentalities of a process. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
What do I believe in? Podcast
I suggest turning off or turning down the clocktower music on the sidebar before listening to the podcast so you can actually hear it!
Click here to get your own player.
Words from: http://awatanabe09clocked.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-do-i-believe-in.html
Thursday, February 1, 2007
What do I believe in?
Hmm...to answer that question in the title, I believe in many things. As a violinist, many of my beliefs are originated in my experiences in music.
First and foremost and if you don't already know, I accept that I am not what some may call a normal 16 year old student. And now I'll be giving you the generic "everyone is different" statement. There! That wasn't too hard was it? It is true though, if everyone behaved the same, wouldn't life be boring?
ANYWAYS, so we have our differences, my main difference has to do with music. While many teenagers have their quote and quote "popular" music, I am interested in none of that. Again, I'm a violinist and my genre of music is classical. Like Eric W. was saying in one of his posts, "most teens can't stand to even think about classical music". Well, I'm not "most".
I've been playing violin since I was 4. Starting to learn, just like with anything, was a slow process, but it was not without its excitements. Moving on to a new piece (Little rant: They are not called songs!) was always one of these excitements, as was learning the new techniques that came with it. I started in the Suzuki program so there was a set path of pieces, and with the Suzuki CD that I would listen to in the car, I would get to listen to not only my current piece, but also the pieces I would eventually be able to play. Practicing was hard work, and when I was younger it was not really much fun. However, listening to future pieces gave me motivation. And I knew that if I wanted to improve, I had to be committed. I kept practicing, and I did improve. And actually as I improved, practicing eventually became less of a chore and more of a recreation. So that is how I have my first belief: commitment.
It has been 12 years since I started the violin, and since then it has become a central part of my life. There used to be a CD I could listen to, as a mentioned above. The music on the CD would give me something, a piece, to look forward to playing. I would strive to improve to be able to play that piece, whatever it was. Setting set goals, along with my belief in commitment helped me through the Suzuki books, but that was 5 years ago and those were just the basics. After finishing the last book...well 8th book since I didn't do 9 and 10...I was introduced to the expanse that is classical music. There was no more set path, of course, and while my belief in commitment stayed, my "stepping stone" belief changed into my second belief: excellence.
"Is someone testing me every day I live? Well, the best in me is all I have to give."
I believe that excellence is not the same as "success". Success is about "being the best". Excellence on the other hand isn't that way, though many people now think of it as so. It isn't about competition. It does not involve comparing yourself to anyone else...but yourself. It is a personal goal that is constantly pursued. Excellence is improvement! It is the quality of doing one's best, one's best which constantly raises through improvement brought by the pursuit of that excellence. Failure is such a harsh word, and focusing on success can lead to focusing on potential failures which in turn lead to self-debasement and brooding over the past. Success/Failure is something that is not often under one's complete control. While "my best" is something that I can control. I know when I have accomplished my goal and I know what I am capable of. I believe that the best I have is the most I have and that can be made better through the pursuit of excellence. It is not only in violin that I work to always be be better than I have been previously but I try to apply the belief in excellence to other areas of my life as well.
I think this quote sums up the differences between success and excellence. I'm not much into sports but still:
http://eteamz.active.com/americasoccer/files/SuccessvsExcellence.doc
So that was my second belief: the pursuit of excellence.
I am just beginning to find my belief in this aspect of music: Life is very stressful, and the violin is my way to escape. With music I am immersed in a world where the strains of life become merely secondary. I feel a freedom to express that which would be impossible for me to express with words. Music is a universal language after all. The better I get, the more I can say. I can harness my frustration, my happiness, my anger into this expression. And what's more, I find it enjoyable. My third belief: I believe in music as its own, powerful, language.
First and foremost and if you don't already know, I accept that I am not what some may call a normal 16 year old student. And now I'll be giving you the generic "everyone is different" statement. There! That wasn't too hard was it? It is true though, if everyone behaved the same, wouldn't life be boring?
ANYWAYS, so we have our differences, my main difference has to do with music. While many teenagers have their quote and quote "popular" music, I am interested in none of that. Again, I'm a violinist and my genre of music is classical. Like Eric W. was saying in one of his posts, "most teens can't stand to even think about classical music". Well, I'm not "most".
I've been playing violin since I was 4. Starting to learn, just like with anything, was a slow process, but it was not without its excitements. Moving on to a new piece (Little rant: They are not called songs!) was always one of these excitements, as was learning the new techniques that came with it. I started in the Suzuki program so there was a set path of pieces, and with the Suzuki CD that I would listen to in the car, I would get to listen to not only my current piece, but also the pieces I would eventually be able to play. Practicing was hard work, and when I was younger it was not really much fun. However, listening to future pieces gave me motivation. And I knew that if I wanted to improve, I had to be committed. I kept practicing, and I did improve. And actually as I improved, practicing eventually became less of a chore and more of a recreation. So that is how I have my first belief: commitment.
It has been 12 years since I started the violin, and since then it has become a central part of my life. There used to be a CD I could listen to, as a mentioned above. The music on the CD would give me something, a piece, to look forward to playing. I would strive to improve to be able to play that piece, whatever it was. Setting set goals, along with my belief in commitment helped me through the Suzuki books, but that was 5 years ago and those were just the basics. After finishing the last book...well 8th book since I didn't do 9 and 10...I was introduced to the expanse that is classical music. There was no more set path, of course, and while my belief in commitment stayed, my "stepping stone" belief changed into my second belief: excellence.
"Is someone testing me every day I live? Well, the best in me is all I have to give."
I believe that excellence is not the same as "success". Success is about "being the best". Excellence on the other hand isn't that way, though many people now think of it as so. It isn't about competition. It does not involve comparing yourself to anyone else...but yourself. It is a personal goal that is constantly pursued. Excellence is improvement! It is the quality of doing one's best, one's best which constantly raises through improvement brought by the pursuit of that excellence. Failure is such a harsh word, and focusing on success can lead to focusing on potential failures which in turn lead to self-debasement and brooding over the past. Success/Failure is something that is not often under one's complete control. While "my best" is something that I can control. I know when I have accomplished my goal and I know what I am capable of. I believe that the best I have is the most I have and that can be made better through the pursuit of excellence. It is not only in violin that I work to always be be better than I have been previously but I try to apply the belief in excellence to other areas of my life as well.
I think this quote sums up the differences between success and excellence. I'm not much into sports but still:
http://eteamz.active.com/americasoccer/files/SuccessvsExcellence.doc
So that was my second belief: the pursuit of excellence.
I am just beginning to find my belief in this aspect of music: Life is very stressful, and the violin is my way to escape. With music I am immersed in a world where the strains of life become merely secondary. I feel a freedom to express that which would be impossible for me to express with words. Music is a universal language after all. The better I get, the more I can say. I can harness my frustration, my happiness, my anger into this expression. And what's more, I find it enjoyable. My third belief: I believe in music as its own, powerful, language.
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