The Attitude of Excellence

The attitude of excellence is a goal which we all should be striving to achieve. I am continually amazed at how easy it is for people to simply accept the status quo and no longer push themselves toward excellence. They possess average thoughts, with average attitudes and find themselves living an average life. I once read an example of man's potential written by Jim Rohn. Mr. Rohn told of how nature always "strives", for its all that nature knows. He asked the question "How tall will a tree grow?" The answer of course is as tall as it can, until it has reached its full potential. Mr. Rohn stated that man is the only creature that will stop short of its full potential, and quit striving. There is much more to life than the "status quo", and we should be striving to fulfill our potential of being all that we can be.

If we desire to have an attitude of excellence, we first of all, must decide to pursue excellence being totally committed. Everyday we will be given the opportunity to do things or make choices that will reveal excellence in our lives. We must choose every day to never allow the "status quo" to be who we are. If we have the attitude of excellence, we will work harder, go the extra mile, pay attention to detail and do whatever it takes to reach our goals.

The development of an attitude of excellence is greatly affected by those people we choose to associate with and spend our time with. If we desire excellence, we must be very cautious of all those we have in our lives. We should determine what we want to be in life, and then find others who are already there...and then read about them, talk with them and spend as much time with them as possible. It should be our sincere desire to cross paths with excellent people each and every day, and then be able to associate with them. Our own attitude will be a reflection of those people we associate with on a daily basis.

It is our responsibility to set the standard of excellence in our life and then do it. It is a fool's dream to believe we can go through life aimlessly and end up being successful. No, we must set the standard and the goals. There are simply some attitudes and actions that are unacceptable in our lives, and we must refuse to harbor them. We must set the standard high, and then expect to reach that level of success. You and I must determine and in our mind see what excellence is to us. Once we see that picture, we then must refuse to accept anything other than our standard of excellence. One if our goals should be to continue to stretch ourselves, fully knowing that we can always improve.

The life of excellence we lead is what our children see in each of us everyday. If we aren't living a life of excellence, then they see that as well. We should train our children to live a life of excellence, beginning early in their lives. They should learn how to properly fold their clothes, make up their beds, present proper manners, to maintain their personal appearance, to work hard and to never accept "average" as good enough. If we are able to set the standard and train them early, then they will have a much easier time in achieving excellence in their own lives. By setting the standard of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, we will easily know what to focus on. Some good examples, people with an attitude of excellence never: litter, gossip, leave poor tips, keep untidy rooms, dress sloppy, lie, deceive others, keep poorly clean cars, or perform poorly at work. Take pride in what you have. Your home may be small, but you can keep it clean, mow the lawn regularly, and keep the garage or porch cleared of junk. So what if your neighbors or even your friends don't bother to do what you do. Seek to be the one who stands out from the crowd, that person of excellence, the one who is faithful even in the little things.

We should strive to make excellent choices, even in the mundane and simple things. If we are shopping and drop something to the floor, be a person of excellence and place it back where it belongs. When eating out, as a person of excellence, let the waiter/waitress know you appreciate the service you have received...learn to always say "Thank you". These things may seem small, but it is in these type areas where the most compromises, excuses and justifications are made. Seek to be the one who stands out, be a person of excellence.

The pursuit of an attitude of excellence is challenging and will not happen overnight. We should begin with small areas of our lives, and then continue to grow, not allowing ourselves to become overwhelmed. It could be the way we keep the dishes picked up and washed, the way we fold our clothes, writing memos at work, regularly cleaning our cars, or the way we talk on the phone. What does any of this have to do with with the attitude of excellence? It has everything to do with it, for it will reveal if we have truly made the commitment and set the standard. It's unacceptable for someone of excellence to just throw their clothes everywhere, and not maintain them. Excellent people have clean cars, organized homes, and they take care of themselves in all areas. You must make it a goal to become excellent in all areas of your life, including the small and simple areas you might overlook.

We should possess a burning desire, a passion, for an attitude of excellence. We must make the changes to live this life of excellence. It is our responsibility. We should always face each day thinking of ways we can do things with more excellence. Everyday give life everything you have, don't accept mediocrity. Let your attitude of excellence be your trademark in life, as you are found committed to standing out from the crowd.