“Excellence
is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we
have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted
rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a
habit.” ―
“Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes
9:10)
Introduction
According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, “Excellence is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”.
To excel is defined as, “to do or be better than; to surpass.” For many out
there, excellence would mean being better than the competition or achieving significance
usually, through the praise and applause of other people.
Truly, to excel is to perform
at a level higher than normal; beyond a defined limit. It speaks of superiority
in performance, quality, or degree. For us as Christians, excellence is a
virtue which we should pursue at all times. Unlike the world, the difference is
in our motivation – we pursue excellence, not for self-exaltation but to the
glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23-24).
Excellence is not about age or status.
It is the exclusive journey of those who desire to reject mediocrity, young or
old; rich or poor. Therefore, as a teenager, you can be committed to a life of
excellence in your words, action, and thought. Whether it is in performing
domestic chores, or in your school work, or the work place, in any assignment
whatsoever, you can put in that extra effort by giving it your best shot.
Nothing else should do for an ambassador of Christ!
The Walk to
Excellence
1.
Be Excellent at Home: The best place to practice
excellence is in your home. Whenever you have an opportunity to do something
(and those opportunities come per minute), be ready to learn in order to give
it your best shot. As a teenager, all chores are actually, within your ability
to perform or an opportunity for learning and manifesting excellence for the
Almighty God. So stop complaining whenever you are asked to do chores, now that
you know what is at stake. As you mop that dirty floor, for instance, turn it
into a masterpiece and make God proud!
2.
Be Excellent in School: About 70-90% of your years as
a teenager will be spent in school. There are expectations here and
implications for your future. Your academic ‘stakeholders’ expect you to do
your best and make good grades. Remember, they have invested physically,
emotionally, and financially in you and you shouldn’t let all of that go down
the drain. In addition, getting excellent grades guarantees your eligibility
for further academic pursuits. Look at another addition – God awaits that great
result! Bearing this in mind, go out there and ‘break a leg’.
3. Be Excellent at the Workplace: The teen age seems to provide
the opportunity to ‘live’ in several worlds. There’s home, school, and also the
workplace where you are either working during your vacation, or as part of your
academic curriculum, or as a volunteer. You could also be holding a full-time
job. But whichever, remember that it is an opportunity to build relationships,
acquire skills and practical work experience, showcase your God-given talents,
add value/proffer solutions, and many more benefits, including earning some
money. This is therefore, a call for committed and dedicated service, the outstanding
kind that catapults you to heights you never imagined (Proverbs 22:29).
4.
Be Excellent in the Community: There’s a world out there bigger
than what can you possibly conceive. You are currently, a member of the
community where you live, school and work. What role are you playing in the
progress and development of your community? How involved are you in the
transformation of your community for good? Are you growing positively yourself,
in order to help others grow? Are you participating or leading young people
like you unto the faith and good works? With excellence as your ‘road map’, you
must be law-abiding and actively give your best to the community. Engaging in
obnoxious and unruly behaviour is a no-no.
5.
Be Excellent in your
Relationships:
Oh, how I love the words of 1 Timothy
4:12, “Let no one show little respect for
you because you are young. Show other Christians how to live by your life. They
should be able to follow you in the way you talk and in what you do. Show them
how to live in faith and in love and in holy living”. A life of
excellence is the 360-degrees kind. It calls on every area and aspect of your
life to conform. So you need to understand that it comes from the inside of you
to the outside. Be careful about the company you keep, your hangout locations,
your social media conversations, your behaviour, conduct and attitude. When you
remain conscious of how all of these tie up to your walk to excellence, then you
are on your way to excellence.
Conclusion
Working toward a life of
excellence does not mean you won’t make mistakes. That wouldn’t be life, would
it? Just that your mistakes should become lessons and a growth opportunity, not
only for you but for others too. Stay faithful to anything you do, no matter
how little so that faithfulness in the big things will become a piece-of-cake (Matthew 25:14-30). Resist the pressure
from your peers to under-achieve as the latest fad… ‘getting by’ isn’t good
enough! Don’t join your peers to do wrong, binge on drugs and alcohol. Let the
word of God motivate you unto a life of excellence…daily. Set goals that
indicate the quality of excellence you desire and when you achieve them,
celebrate the grace of God upon your life. Remember, you could not have done it
without Him.
God deserves our
best and everything we do should reflect God’s honour and glory. John Newton, the
author of the hymn “Amazing Grace” said: “I am not what I ought to be. I am not
what I want to be. I am not what I will be. But thank God I am not what I used
to be”.
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