“All my life as 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 18, was of course already seasoned musician. I had no idea what I would become, except that I knew by that time that I was unlikely to be success exporting cotton textiles. At 18, I was as immature, as callow, as naïve as an 18-year-old can be. It was not until 15 years later, when I was in my early 30s, that I really knew what I am good at and where I belong. But I then resolved that, whatever my life’s work would 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
Extracted from Peter Drucker’s book The Daily Drucker.
