The Bridge To Even Better

by Mario A. Campanaro

The Bridge To Even Better

by Mario A. Campanaro

Is your best truly your best—or is it the bridge to becoming better than you were yesterday?

Denzel Washington once said,

"Dreams without goals are just dreams… and they ultimately fuel disappointment. Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency."

He also reminds us that,

"Luck is where opportunity meets preparation."

The late, great Dame Maggie Smith, may she rest in peace, once said,

"It just goes with the territory… You can always be better—or want to be better. How can you just sit back and say, 'Oh, I thought that was absolutely wonderful. Why would you want to do it again? I thought it was perfect.' NEVER!"

Phylicia Rashad has said,

"The measure of excellence is judged by the commitment to your work. That’s the measure of excellence."

Kerry Washington shared,

"I love to be in class or working with a coach all the time because I never want my identity as an actor to be defined by somebody paying me. I’m an actor whether I get a paycheck or not—but I have to do the work to make that true."

David Harbour exclaims,

"I go to acting class… still. I’m looking to become something great!"

And finally, Tom Hardy offers this :

"I believe perfection is unattainable… but that shouldn’t stop us from trying....If one is passionate and committed to the noble pursuit of excellence within their chosen field, then I would say one has a moral obligation and ethical duty to be of service."

And the list goes on and on. Because great actors—great artists—know that there is no finish line when you are on the path to artistic excellence in service of something greater than yourself.

Excellence is not a trivial, egocentric social media checkmark that validates you, your gifts, or your talents. The true mark of creative excellence is rooted in your internal standard—fueled by your passion and drive to do something extraordinary with the gifts and talents you’ve been blessed with.

Make your own individual mark on this Earth—no matter how big or small—during your time on this great, big, beautiful marble. You, your gifts, and your talents are not meant to sit idle on a shelf collecting dust. You are meant TO DO—not to wait to do—but to actively DO. So go! Grow. Expand. Evolve. Get better and better—better than you were yesterday. Go out into the world and move mountains. Stoke the flames of that creative fire within you and let it blaze. Do something—anything—remarkable with all that you have been given. The world is not looking for—nor does it need—filtered carbon copies of anyone or anything else. It needs YOU. Your creative individuality. Your own version of artistic excellence. That light in you that shines like a lighthouse in the storm, helping to illuminate humanity toward a better tomorrow. That is what is needed. It is priceless. It is worthy of being seen. Worthy of being heard. Worthy of being witnessed. And more than worthy of being celebrated.

So don’t hold yourself back from what lives within you—that ever-evolving, remarkable artist, hungry for more and more creative excellence to be discovered and used in service. Grow. Expand. Evolve. Get better and better—better than you were yesterday. Let your best not be the finish line, but the spark—the beginning—of what’s next. The spark that leads to, "What else do I have in me?" Because when most exclaim, "I’m done!" the creative warrior quietly whispers, "I am just beginning."