Today we are going to talk about the concept of excellence and what it means to be an excellent physician or person. I have been thinking about this idea for some time and am really drawn to the idea of excellence as an ideal to pursue or a goal to achieve. We often use the term in our conversation to refer to something that is very good. That was an excellent dinner! You did an excellent job on that particular project. And as we look around, we identify and admire people who demonstrate a particular "excellence" at something. In short, we appreciate talent.
As I think about excellence in my own life, I certainly desire for that to be characteristic of me and my medical practice. But what exactly does this mean? Or is this somehow the narcissistic aspirations of a hubristic doctor? Or is excellence something else? As we dig into this idea, we will see that is an aspirational lifestyle. In the context of medicine, it is a way of bringing wholeness to a career that has a tendency to pigeonhole someone into a very narrow focus and set of priorities. And in life, it is the pursuit of a life well lived.
I am particularly drawn to this concept of excellence as characteristic as defined in the dictionary, but especially as defined in the classical sense. In ancient Greece, the term for excellence is arete. This particular term was used across a wide swath of ancient literature. And to the reader of the day, it carried the connotation of excellence of any kind, wholeness, and moral virtue. It spoke of people living up to their full potential.
Homer used the term to describe Achilles. Aristotle used the term to refer to virtue. Even the apostle Paul uses the term in Philippians 4:8 when he writes. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence (arete), if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
This particular, power packed term provides a grand basis for aspirational living. But simply understanding the semantic range of an inspiring term is only the first part of the pursuit of excellence. As I have been thinking about the idea of excellence, I have realized that I need to define excellence in some practical way so that I can not only measure my actions but also have a framework to convey as I call other people to join me on this journey of excellence. Stated another way, you can't hit a target if you don't know how to aim as well as know how to nock and arrow and draw the bow string.
So here it is... the definition of an excellent physician. The goal of this project is to pursue excellence by living with purpose, intention, and virtue. Why? so that we can be fit to serve our God, our families, our patients, and our communities. In the coming weeks, we will further break this down and talk about each of the three pillars. Stay tuned.
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