Not Just For Work
The topic of excellence gets spoken about in so many seminars, websites, blogs and classes, but it is mostly referring to job quality. What a difference our lives could be if we applied the concept in the rest of our lives. Too many families fall apart because one member’s job comes first because “excellence” is demanded from them which translates into late nights and lost promises. Too many friendships get lost because a friend doesn’t communicate what they are feeling, whether good or bad, with their friend. I believe it is high time that we take the concept of “excellence” and apply it to every area of our life and work to bring balance into our personal world.
Let’s first consider what it means to be excellent. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary excellent is:
1: archaic: superior
2: very good of its kind: eminently good: first-class
So, if we are striving for excellence in any area of out lives, we are working to make that area very good or the best that it can be. This striving can be in our work habits or skills, our relationships with family and friends or even our own physical and mental health. Any area that we work for excellence in must be acknowledged to be only a piece of the overall improvements we are searching for. We must always live balanced, healthy lives if we are to make any positive impact on the world for if we don’t, the striving all will be for naught. Nothing is worth sacrificing relationships or your affect on the world, even the pursuit of excellence. Excellence in and of itself is only fuel that sits, unused, useless for the reason it exists, which is to power the passion and purpose that we have within us.
Now, excellence can be a double-edged sword if used in the wrong way; cutting apart the things that hold us together. Family, your character and integrity, and all the other vital things in your life are torn away and you are left with rubble. Excellence, on the other hand, used to carefully cut away the stubble of our personality can strengthen relationships. When used to cut away bad work habits, excellence can increase our value to our employer and can also bring a better relationship between you and your superiors. When used like the scalpel in the had of a skilled surgeon we see dead areas of our lives removed to allow healing and restoration.
For now, think of the ways that you have used the concept of excellence to hold you back or not live up to your full potential. Then turn around and see where the drive for excellence has proved to move you to where are all the better for it. Only in looking at these two faces of excellence do we find the greater value of fueling your life and relationships to a higher ground.
Until next time, #LiveAboveAverage!
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