In the last piece, I wrote on excellence, the one attribute every employee must have for a successful career and life. You may read it here in case you missed it.
Excellence can be developed by everyone who desires to have it if we understand how to go about it.
The first thing we must know is that excellence is a spirit, a force that takes charge and controls. To be excellent in life, you must cultivate that spirit.
By spirit, I do not particularly mean a supernatural power that comes up you to help you to be excellent, it is simply a mindset.
It is not borne out of an obsessive compulsive disorder, but a state of mind that always want to give the best in everything or believes the best is possible.
After the children of Israel rebelled against God and He was angry with them, God spoke about Caleb having a different spirit and because of this, God gave him a place in the promised land. A different spirit here referred to Caleb’s (just like Joshua) perception of the land they went to spy and his trust in God that they were able to take the land unlike the representatives of the remaining ten Jewish tribes. Numbers 14:24.
In the case of Daniel, it was said that there was an excellent spirit in him and because of this, the King decided to set him up as the General oversee of all his regions. Could the King have seen ‘spirit’? Of course not. It was the extraordinary way Daniel went about his assignments that was perceptible and this is where the conclusion was drawn that he had an excellent spirit. Dan. 6:3
The spirit of excellence is therefore more of an approach than an unseen supernatural force and it can be developed by everyone of us.
How then did Daniel and Caleb got their spirit of excellence and how can you get yours?
From my observation, these two guys were learners. Daniel understood the Jewish codes so well that he knew what to eat and what not to eat, he understood by books the time set for the deliverance of the Jews, he understood the law of his God so well and was committed to it that it was the only basis for those envious of him to find fault in him.
Caleb knew his God so well that he followed fully. Only a man that studies the word of God can come out boldly to say they were able to take the land that others saw as full of giants. What did the others know?
Only a man that knows his God can follow fully despite all the odds against him. This can only come from learning.
The first key to cultivate excellence is learning.
The Bible is the book of wisdom, it should be the first thing you learn from. Other books will teach you wisdom too because there are other types of wisdom apart from the divine but there is nothing you want to learn to guide your life that is not in the Bible.
Learning is very pivotal to developing excellence. Pause now and think about people around you that demonstrate excellence. Have you noticed they are learners?
When you search for knowledge, your mind is stretched and it is equipped with superior information that when applied, it separates you from others. You can’t be a learner and still embrace mediocrity. It is in the process of learning principles of life that you begin to adopt a new mindset and approach to doing things.
Learning brings exposure to new things and the more you become exposed to new things, the more you want to act differently.
Learning has the tendency to breed pride when you think you know more than others. Humility is the check. To cultivate the spirit of excellence, you need to have the spirit of humility.
Excellence is a total package if it must bring all the 7 benefits listed in the first part of this piece.
Theodore Roosevelt said that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. I think when you are excellent but proud, you have lost that excellent touch. Mind you, excellent people are often considered too hard or in some cases ‘wicked’ because of the spirit of excellence that makes them not to settle for less. They don’t accept ‘just okay’ and since many people are used to ‘just okay’ they are often considered too hard to please. This is why they still need to be humane.
Another thing about cultivating excellence is you need to fight. What are you fighting? Habits, embedded belief system, fear, lack of self confidence, wrong appetites and all those thoughts and feelings that you are not good enough. These kill adoption of new ways of doing things.
Daniel has to kill the lust for the sumptuous meal served at the King table just like he confronted the decree that he should not pray to His God.
When you are learning and the illumination is coming to you, there will be forces working against the adoption of the new insights, you must fight them.
People will rise against you because they don’t want you to leave them behind, you have to fight against such dispositions.
You will have to fight against your old ways of doing things because they are easier for you than the new way you are adopting.
You can begin your journey to being excellent in all you do by trying these suggested approach.
God bless you.
Akindele Afolabi
Christian Employee Series
A very insightful piece indeed, may we find grace to remain humble and grateful as we increase in excellence in Jesus name. Thanks for this great job. God bless you
Amen.
Thank you