Two men met on an airplane and began to talk. They asked each other the usual questions, and as it happened, one of the men was married and the other man was not. After a while the married man asked, "Why is it that you never married?"

The single man looked pensive then said, "Well, I think I just never met the right woman."

"Oh, come on," the married man replied. "Surely you've met at least one girl during your lifetime that you wanted to marry."

The single man once again thought about the man's statement. "Well, yes, that's true," he said. "There was one girl once. The perfect girl."

"Well, why on Earth didn't you marry her?" the married man asked.

"She was looking for the perfect man," the other replied.

Perfect is the ultimate praise. But trying to attain perfection can cause stress, hinder efficiency and create unnecessary conflicts. Perfectionists are frequently thought of as critical, overwhelmed, unable to see the big picture, stressed-out, anxious and rarely able to enjoy their accomplishments.

Perfect is also the ultimate impossibility. Most of us are content to settle for almost perfect, or pretty darn close. So it makes sense to focus instead on a goal of excellence: meeting the highest standards agreed upon for oneself or by the group.

As the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

Excellence means continued personal and professional growth, job satisfaction and customer service, clear and reasonable expectations and a strong sense of accomplishment.

To truly keep on the path toward the pursuit of excellence, give these points some consideration:

-- Get real. When you find yourself becoming frantic about a goal, stop and ask, "Is this problem really worth the level of frustration I'm experiencing?" The likelihood that a result can never be good enough is counterproductive to progress.

-- Establish clear expectations. If you know what's expected of you, you can better track your progress and draw boundaries when needed. This will help you move forward with a project instead of obsessing on details that may not ultimately make a difference.

-- Identify your triggers. Learn to recognize the factors that lead or contribute to your perfectionist thinking and behaviors, and avoid them. If you can't figure them out by yourself, ask your colleagues. They will likely be able to tell you what you need to know.

-- Delegate. Many perfectionists mistakenly believe that they, and only they, can complete the task at hand. Allow other people to assist you, which will increase the odds that the group will more easily reach excellence.

-- Know what's important. Ask yourself: "What's most important about this project?" Seek input from supervisors, colleagues and employees. Setting your objectives and then identifying key points allows everyone to contribute to the success of the project.

-- Focus on what you can do, not on what you can't. Do the best job possible within the limits of your resources. Rather than wasting time, energy and money obsessing about how good it could be if you had more to work with, concentrate your efforts on how to get the best result within your limitations.

Longtime readers of this column will suspect I am contradicting one of my favorite aphorisms: "Practice makes perfect -- not true. Perfect practice makes perfect." I still adhere to that philosophy. If you are practicing to improve performance, whether for a presentation or golf swing, you want to improve your performance, not repeatedly practice mistakes.

Management guru Stephen Covey put it this way: "Real excellence does not come cheaply. A certain price must be paid in terms of practice, patience and persistence -- natural ability notwithstanding."

In other words, you have to be willing to pay the price, because excellence in any field is not automatic.

I know people who have bowled perfect games. I have witnessed pitchers throwing perfect games. Not to brag, but I recently got my first hole-in-one. Those are rarities, believe me. And that's why we keep practicing, as perfectly as we can.

Mackay's Moral: Even if you can't achieve perfection, you should never stop trying.

I often joke that it takes years to become an overnight success. But it starts with a dream. My dream was to own a factory. I wasn't even sure what kind of product I'd make, or exactly where it would be. But I pictured myself walking the factory floor, talking to workers. The pile of broken-down machines I bought might have looked more like a nightmare at the time. But dreams come true -- with a lot of wide-awake work.

Here are my ABCs for reaching your dreams.

A is for attitude. It is absolutely essential that you have a positive mental attitude in every aspect of life.

B is for believe in yourself, even when no one else does. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish your goals. It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it.

C is for creativity. Your dream might not even be original. You can start with an existing idea, product or service, and then use your innovative skills to take it to a new level.

D is for determination, what keeps us hammering away. Determined people possess the stamina and courage to pursue their ambitions despite criticism, ridicule or unfavorable circumstances.

E is for enthusiasm. You should be so pumped about your dream that you won't take no for an answer. Get excited about what you can accomplish.

F is for focus. Don't let distractions and interruptions undermine your focus. Keep your eye on the prize.

G is for goal. Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.

H is for hard work. Be prepared to work long and hard to make your dreams come true. You might lose some sleep achieving your dreams, but rest assured, it will be worth it.

I is for imagination. As you explore possibilities, give your mind some space to wander to new territory.

J is for just do it! Ideas don't work unless you do.

K is for keep dreaming. Oftentimes, one idea will lead to another and then another. Watch your dreams grow.

L is for learn everything that is important to you. Take classes, find mentors, search online -- there's a world of information available just waiting for you.

M is for mentors. Connect with successful people, even if they are not in your chosen field. Pick their brains and find out how they achieved their dreams.

N is for no. Know when to say no and recognize the need to try a different approach.

O is for open mind. Consider options that could improve your ideas, and make adjustments as needed.

P is for perfection. In your dreams, your concept is perfect. Work out the kinks, shake out the wrinkles and keep trying until you can't do any better.

Q is for question. If you ask the right questions, not only will you get good information, you will get it quickly and tailored to your needs.

R is for results. As I often say, they don't pay off on effort; they pay off on results. Your dream may take some time to achieve, but until you produce results, it's still just a dream.

S is for strategy. A strategy connects where you are and where you want to go. Do something every day that puts you a step closer to achieving your dream.

T is for tenacity. Take control of your own destiny. It helps to have a little bulldog in you in order to get things done.

U is for unique. Lots of people may have the same dream as you, but you are unique in your ability, desire and knowledge.

V is for visualize your dreams. I believe that visualization is one of the most powerful means of achieving personal goals. If seeing is believing, visualizing is achieving.

W is for what's next. When you have realized your dream, start dreaming again.

X is for experience. Use your own experience to generate ideas and solutions.

Y is for YOUR dreams. Make sure you are not chasing someone else's dreams.

Z is for ZZZs -- a great place to start dreaming.

Mackay's Moral: May all your dreams come true.

My friend Pat Williams, senior executive vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic and author of several books including "Go for the Magic," has a great analogy when it comes to attitude.

He uses this comparison: On the instrument panel of every airplane is a device called the attitude indicator. This instrument shows the pilot the airplane's true orientation relative to the horizon.

Even if the ground is invisible to the pilot, he or she can know with certainty whether the plane is level or banking and if the nose of the plane is pitched upward or downward -- thanks to the attitude indicator.

If the nose is pitched upward while power is applied, the plane will climb; if downward, the plane descends. The plane's attitude is a key factor in determining whether an airplane goes up or down -- and the same is true of you and me.

We can go as high as our attitude will take us. Our attitude determines our altitude.

As a frequent flier who has logged millions of miles in the air, I know a thing or two about altitude. Once the plane leaves the ground, "wheels up" as they say, altitude is a good thing. A very good thing.

As a business owner and author, I also know a thing or two about attitude. If an employee is enthusiastic about the job, the results show it. If an organization has a collective positive attitude, the chances for success increase exponentially.

A positive business atmosphere is necessarily guided by its leadership. A good leader needs an "instrument panel" that shows the organization's true orientation relative to its goals. It involves leading by example, clear and specific training and direction, and listening to and responding to concerns.

If you want to remain or become a positive force in the workplace, you need a strategy. Wolf J. Rinke, author of "The 6 Success Strategies for Winning at Life, Love & Business," offers these suggestions:

-- Ask people you consider positive forces how they maintain their attitudes.

-- Survey your use of language, and change it when necessary. This includes inner talk and outer talk. Change your negative words and thoughts into positive ones.

-- Appreciate yourself. Accept yourself for who you are, not who you ought to be.

-- Don't worry about something that has already happened. If there is a lesson to be learned, learn it and move on. Accept that you are going to make mistakes.

-- For one entire day, commit yourself to using all of your energy to be positive.

-- Realize that how you feel about something is your choice.

Changing your attitude takes practice. But finding the positives in situations is worth the effort. Would you rather spend time working next to a pessimist or an optimist? Would your co-workers prefer to have you complain or tackle challenges with enthusiasm?

It might not be easy, but it is simple. You, and you alone, have control over your attitude.

I'd like to leave you with part of a poem I often recite when I'm speaking to corporate audiences. It's from "Attitude," by Charles Swindoll.

"The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day

Regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past ... We cannot change the fact

That people will act in a certain way./We cannot change the inevitable.

We can rely on the one thing we have -- Our Attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me

And 90 percent how I react to it.

And so it is with you ... We are in charge of our Attitudes."

Mackay's Moral: When your attitude is flying high, there's no stopping you.