Excellence is hard to define. It’s not about having a bigger budget or the right clothes, etc. I’ve lived and traveled in the third world and have met many poor, disadvantaged people who handled themselves with excellence. What is it then? I think it’s more in the intangibles. In fact, some times a lack of excellence is more noticeable than excellence itself.
I always use this simple definition – doing the absolute best you can with what you have.
So, there’s a little formula there in that definition. The first part of the formula - doing the absolute best you can. That part is up to you. You can control it. The second part is not as clear-cut – with what you have. The truth is that one isn’t always up to us. We’ll talk about that second part tomorrow.
Are you doing the absolute best you can?
That’s the question for you today. Are you doing the best you can as a husband, wife, father, coach, pastor, leader, friend? Are you giving 70% to that project? Are you holding back ideas because you don’t want to go through the effort and work to bring them to pass? I absolutely hate it when I feel like I’m just coasting. There are so many reasons people aren’t doing their absolute best – laziness, fear, hurt, pride, etc. We may talk about those enemies of excellence later in the week. The most important thing you could do is let the Holy Spirit convict you if you’re not doing the absolute best you can. Just remember that you’re a steward of the gifts and opportunities that God has given you.
Why do you think people don’t give their absolute best?
I think people don’t give their absolute best because they fear that their best might not be good enough. But I believe that when we give God our best, even if it’s not much, He makes up what we are lacking. God is pleased when we give our best to Him. The widow mite story comes to mind. She didn’t have much to give, but gave it all - and Jesus esteemed her sacrifice because He saw her excellent heart, not the external appearance that we see.
What a great challenging question…
“am I doing the best I can?”
I realize that there are certain areas of my life that I absolutely own and do my absolute best, but I do have those areas where I feel like I fail miserably. As I think more on it, my failure isn’t caused by weakness or being inept, but simply not doing my absolute best.
I think that definition is a great filter to apply to everything we do, whether it’s our part on a team, something we’re working on or even in our relationship with God. Many times its easy for us to place the blame on someone or something else instead of taking ownership for what we can do ourselves.
Why do you think people don’t give their absolute best?
Simple, because it’s HARD. If it were easy, then mediocrity wouldn’t exist. I struggle daily with giving my best. It is hard, but I’ve found on the other side of that effort is a deep, lasting reward. I strive to constantly increase my capacity for excellence. The real challenge is being excellent when it is not entertaining, comfortable, or convenient.
I believe most people misunderstand what it really means to live in an excellent way. It’s not about the “what you have,” but rather about the “what you do with it.” I learned this at a young age, and never really knew how to tag it. My mom truly showed me how to live a life of excellence when you don’t have a lot. I know some things were tight after my dad passed away, but we were always cared for in the best way my mom knew how to. It wasn’t about the stuff we didn’t have…the name brands or the new toys. God’s hand provided what we needed to make it, and she made the best for us with what we had. God’s word tells us to be faithful in the small things and he will entrust us with more.