“All my life as a musician, I have striven for perfection. It has always eluded me. I surely had an obligation to make one more try.”
I have never forgotten these words—they made an indelible impression on me. Verdi, when he was my age, that was eighteen, was of course already a seasoned musician. I had no idea what I would become, except that I knew by that time that I was unlikely to be a success exporting cotton textiles. At eighteen, I was as immature, as callow, as naive as an eighteen-year-old can be. It was not until fifteen years later, when I was in my early thirties, that I really knew what I am good at and where I belong. But I then resolved that, whatever my life’s work should be, Verdi’s words would be my lodestar. I then resolved that if I ever reached an advanced age, I would not give up, but would keep on. In the meantime, I would strive for perfection even though, as I well knew, it would surely always elude me.
ACTION POINT: Strive for perfection in your work knowing that it will always elude you.
Drucker on Asia
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker