“Quality is not an act, it is a habit”

This quote from Aristotle points out that quality, being a good person, is not something you do once in a while. It is something that you do consistently. You don’t do it even a few times and then disregard it. It is a lifelong way of doing things.

The reason for this is anyone can be good or do good once in a while. Anyone can be on their best behavior for a bit. But actually being good, whether in your manner, how you treat people, or your success, is something that has to be part of who you are.

The thing that separates the good athletes from the great ones is consistency. Doing things at a high level is not something that happens when that athlete is on a hot streak. It is the norm.

But to get to the point where your quality is high all the time, you have to make practicing and perfecting that as regular a part of your life as anything you do every day. You have to make it second nature to you.

You don’t practice doing something until you get it right. You practice doing something until you can’t get it wrong. That is the level you have to be comfortable with doing something positive to have quality.

Staying consistent with things, especially when they require effort and sacrifice, is much easier said than done. But that is why quality is extremely difficult to achieve. Unless you make a habit of excellence, you can’t achieve quality.