{"id":211,"date":"2016-03-10T17:16:47","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T17:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=211"},"modified":"2016-03-10T17:16:47","modified_gmt":"2016-03-10T17:16:47","slug":"steps-to-success-part-4-be-a-person-of-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/03\/steps-to-success-part-4-be-a-person-of-excellence.html","title":{"rendered":"Steps to Success, Part 4: Be a Person of Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a difference between being excellent in one area of your life and being a person of excellence<\/em>.\u00a0 I can be an excellent tuba player.\u00a0 I can be an excellent inventor.\u00a0 Neither of those things makes me an excellent person.<\/p>\n

If I am a person of excellence I am trying to be successful in all<\/em> areas of my life. \u00a0Now that doesn\u2019t mean that I am attempting to be perfect.\u00a0 We are human beings.\u00a0 We are by definition imperfect creatures.\u00a0 However, we should be striving for excellence<\/em> in everything that we do.<\/p>\n

You probably know of at least one or two people who have achieved this kind of personal success. I do.\u00a0 My former boss is a person of excellence.\u00a0 He treats everyone he encounters with respect.\u00a0 He is completely devoted to his wife and children.\u00a0 And whatever he demands of his staff, he demands double of himself.\u00a0 His high standards pervade every area of his life.<\/p>\n

I also know a lady who is a homemaker. She does everything with such care.\u00a0 She is a thoughtful mother.\u00a0 She goes above and beyond in volunteering for her church.\u00a0 Her home is beautiful, and she is a top notch cook.\u00a0 Moreover, she is friendly and always looks lovely.\u00a0 She is the complete package of grace and kindness.<\/p>\n

Neither of those people is perfect. But what sets them apart is their desire to give their very best to everything that they do. They are persons of excellence.\u00a0 And that is how you become a successful human being, which is very different from being a successful athlete, actor or business person.<\/p>\n

When we seek success, most of us really are seeking two things. First, we want to succeed in our accomplishments.\u00a0 But then we also want to be happy.\u00a0 The problem is that you can succeed in one area of your life and be miserable at the same time.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because it isn\u2019t enough to succeed in just one discrete area of your life.\u00a0 To put it bluntly, you can have a wildly successful career, but if you are in a miserable marriage, you will be unhappy.\u00a0\u00a0 Likewise, you can have a great family life, but if you don\u2019t have your own area of accomplishment, your self-esteem will suffer.\u00a0 That is why the only way to achieve true success and happiness is to demand excellence from yourself in all<\/em> areas of your life.<\/p>\n

It is worthwhile to consider Paul\u2019s advice in his Epistle to the Colossians:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.\u201d\u00a0 Colossians 3:17<\/p>\n

Paul doesn\u2019t just tell the Colossians to pray or worship in the name of Jesus. Instead he says \u201cwhatever you do, in word or deed,\u201d do it in the name of Jesus.\u00a0 He is conveying the concept that our entire life should be about serving God.\u00a0 That means that everything that we do, from making our beds to doing our jobs to parenting our children, should be done with our best effort.\u00a0 Everything that we do should be done as an act of service to God.<\/p>\n

This week, think about all the areas of your life. Are you giving your best to everything?\u00a0 Perhaps there are ways in which you could bring a better effort.\u00a0 Remember that when everything we do is in service to God and we give our best effort, then we truly become people of excellence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a difference between being excellent in one area of your life and being a person of excellence.\u00a0 I can be an excellent tuba player.\u00a0 I can be an excellent inventor.\u00a0 Neither of those things makes me an excellent person. 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