Introduction
Humans have evolved through the rigors of competition and innovation. Such rigors have exposed us to the perpetual demand for efficiency. The proficiency needed to deliver the outstanding is excellence.
The multifaceted life of modern humans necessitates diverse standards of excellence in the human ecosystem. Education, jobs, skills, performances, accomplishments, institutions, organizations, associations, establishments, etc.; all have their unique standards of excellence. Even the life an individual endures or the values an individual carries have standards of excellence.
However, these standards do not work in isolation. Human nature is the common thread of connection and is the primary driver of excellence in the human ecosystem. Other factors, like education, skill, resource, technology, infrastructure, etc., play a secondary role.
The universal race of excellence, somehow, undermines the importance of human nature. Preset rules of excellence, for varied aspects of human life, are not suitable for all. Humans share broad characteristics, but individual features vary from one to another. Excellence is best accomplished when one’s components work in harmony. Pursuance of life objectives, if aligned with personal characteristics, realizes optimal potentials.
It is desirable that an institution should give due importance to the innate needs of each individual, but the truth is that each institution is guided by its own objectives and, in practice, is likely to falter. The primary responsibility of identifying personal characteristics and life objectives, therefore, rests with the person itself.
However, the perplexities of life create dilemmas for an individual. Why I behave the way I do? Why others behave the way others do? What can help me in understanding myself and others? How do I decide what is right for me? How do I pursue what I think is right for me? These and many more such questions continuously bother us.
These questions assume broader significance in the present context when technological advancements are impacting human life in a big way. How modern humans will cope with such changes is a crucial debating point. No one has a clear answer at this stage, However, a person’s competence to tackle such twists rises with the grasp of human nature. A person with better awareness has better skills to adaptability, compared to those who lack.
Modern scientific studies have facilitated a much better understanding of human nature. We provide well-thought-out scientific tools to address the perplexities of life. These tools are just-the-right to apply in our everyday life and should help an individual in pursuing excellence with pragmatic approach to every aspect of life.
We have drawn ideas from multiple resources. Specific sources are acknowledged under the section “Acknowledgements and References” in the handbook.