"Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor
making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby.
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the
same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only
one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman
examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?"
he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the
sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install
the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar
twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that
there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor
stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will
know it."

*Moral of the story:*
The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else
appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.
Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but
for your own satisfaction and Excellence...