Thots for Life

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence." Vince Lombardi

Tom Peters burst on the business management scene in the early 1980's with his best-selling book "In Search of Excellence." It was seemingly a fresh idea at the propitious time. The Apostle Paul, however, spoke of excellence centuries ago when he wrote "...and don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best." (Colossians 3.23, The Message) A commitment to excellence needs to characterize all that we do all that we say and who we are! The alternative to excellence is mediocrity and a tolerance for mediocrity has ramifications in many arenas. How many times are we guilty of setting low standards, doing the minimum requirement or just being lazy? It is often tempting to take the path of least resistance. But as Bob Murphy observed, "The line of least resistance makes crooked rivers and crooked men."

Excellence is not perfectionism, bigness, compulsivity or prideful exclusion. Excellence is simply doing the very best you can with what resources you have been given. Excellence sets the bar high and refuses to succumb to the attitude that says, "Just okay is good enough" or "That should do" or "Nobody will even notice if I put forth a greater effort." What drives the pursuit of excellence? Let me suggest three things:

1. Position. A complete understanding of your position, the privilege and the responsibility of leadership should promote personal excellence. As a leader and as a believer we need to recognize the necessity for us to model excellence in every area of life.

2. Passion. A passion and enthusiasm for your God-given purpose, mission and vision will motivate you to give your very best in any enterprise or endeavor.

3. Promise. A personal promise or commitment to our individual growth, development and excellence will assure excellence in our lives. But if that pledge proves insufficient, an unqualified commitment to Christ as our Savior will not allow the option of mediocrity.

In his autobiography "Why Not the Best?" former US President Jimmy Carter tells about his interview with Admiral Rickover. The admiral asked Carter how he had stood in his class at the Naval Academy. "I swelled my chest with pride and answered, 'Sir, I stood 59th in a class of 820!' I sat back to wait for the congratulations. "Instead came the question: 'Did you do your best?' I started to say, 'Yes, sir,' but I remembered who this was. I gulped and admitted, 'No, sir, I didn't always do my best.' He looked at me for a long time, and then asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget-or to answer. He said, 'Why not?'"