Autographing with excellence
2/5/2025
Who doesn’t want to be the best? In some way, I believe we all do. In most cases, being “good enough” simply isn’t good enough. We want to do better.
“Good enough” are words frequently heard coming out of the mouths of the underachievers of the world. You have certainly heard them said, often in phrases like the following:
“Good enough for now.”
“Good enough for government work.”
“Good enough for who it is for.”
“Good enough for the girls (or guys) I date.”
And the worst — “Good enough for me.”
My friend Mark mows his grass to near perfection. Some say he is the best. He takes razzing about this from his neighbors who mock him for his obsession. He once told me, “If you are going to do something — anything, really — why wouldn’t you do it to the best of your ability?” Not surprisingly, Mark is a successful self-made person who has faced many personal and professional challenges in his life but has tackled them all head on. He believes everything he does is a reflection of him.
We try to learn from Mark. Our publishing business is somewhat unique in that what we do is out there for everyone to critique every day. Readers don’t hesitate to point out our errors, and I appreciate that. Some who work for us express their annoyance of that criticism. They typically don’t last here long. We may not be the best, but we most certainly strive to be.
I recently read a quote that said, “Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.” I shared it with our staff, but the message goes beyond our jobs. Cooking a meal. Ironing a shirt. Making your bed. Washing a car. And, yes, mowing the lawn. Even when no one else can see it, the end result of each of these tasks is a self-portrait of who we are.
So, what makes one person want to “autograph with excellence” and another to continually say “good enough”? You can find the answer to that question from the people, places and events in the following pages that were chosen as the Best of Des Moines by the readers of CITYVIEW. It is a tradition created a few decades ago and has become the measuring stick for success in central Iowa. Others continue to imitate our poll, but none can duplicate it.
We appreciate the opportunity to recognize those who don’t accept doing anything good enough and who take incredible pride in autographing their work with excellence.
Thanks for reading. ♦
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com
