5 Questions to Ask Each Day

Around 435 BC, Greek sculptor Phidias was commissioned to make a statue that would stand on the roof of the Parthenon in Athens.

Phidias was the greatest sculptor of his time and painstakingly labored to produce his final work. The colossal statue of the Athena Parthenos was completed and dedicated years later.

The original work, made of gold and ivory, stood some 38 feet (12 meters) high. The goddess stood erect, wearing a tunic, aegis, and helmet and holding Nike (goddess of victory) in her extended right hand and a spear in her left.

But when Phidias presented his bill for the work, the city accountant refused to pay.

“These statues stand on the roof of the temple, the highest hill in Athens," the accountant said. "Nobody can see anything but their fronts. Yet, you charged us for sculpturing them in the round, that is, doing their backsides that nobody can see.”

“You are wrong,” Phidias replied. "The gods can see them."

More than 2,000 years later, the statues still stand, but the problem of saving money and cutting quality still exists. The urge to take the easy path is ever-present in our lives, but the quality that Phidias valued even then will always prevail. Producing our best work will always stand the test of time.

Achieving our potential and being the best we can be is not easy. But it's still the assignment for each of us.

Along our journey, we will encounter the same situation Phidias did. Do we do our best or only what is necessary? Do we satisfy the task or do we satisfy the Gods who can see them?

These aren't spiritual questions that we attach to our daily work production. They're for self-reflection question, a character assessment of our willingness to extend ourselves and not take the easy and familiar path of so many others. Before each day begins, we'd be wise to ask ourselves five questions in particular:

1. Do we simply want to get the work done or do we hold ourselves to higher standards?

2. Do we value time over quality?

3. Is checking off our to-do list the goal each day?

4. Do we want our work product to be part of our legacy?

5. When we look back at our work, five, 10 years later, will we be satisfied?

We all have a ton of work to accomplish in a short amount of time. As the great former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said: "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?"

Phidias only wanted to be the best, even though he wasn't compensated and sent to prison for attempting to defraud the government by charging too much.

But his life and work had a higher meaning.

Does yours?