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EXCELLING AT WHAT YOU DO
What are the characteristics of people who excel at what they
do? The Bible identifies five traits of those who make it to the
top:
1. PEOPLE WHO EXCEL WORK WITH ENTHUSIASM. Emerson once said, "Nothing
great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm. Regardless
of whether the job is big or small, give it your best." Great
performers give their best effort, no matter what the size of the
audience. "Whatever your task is, put
your whole heart and soul into it, as work done for the Lord, not
merely for men.” Colossians
3:23
2. PEOPLE WHO EXCEL SHARPEN THEIR SKILLS. They never stop developing… growing… learning...
improving. "If the ax is dull, and
its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will
bring success." Ecclesiastics
10:10 It takes more than desire to excel, it takes skill! Remember
- you're never wasting time when you are sharpening your "ax".
3. PEOPLE WHO EXCEL KEEP THEIR WORD. They are reliable. They can
be counted on to do what they say they'll do. So they excel because
people of integrity are rare in our society. "Everyone
talks about how loyal and faithful they are, but just try to find
someone who really is!" Proverbs 20:6 Reliability beats talent in
the long run.
4. PEOPLE WHO EXCEL MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Even under pressure...or
change...or unrealistic demands, they don't allow themselves to
become negative. Complainers never excel at anything except complaining. "Do
all things without grumbling or arguing...and you will shine out
like a light in a dark world." Philippians 2:14-15. Remember "If
the boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit will quiet
his bad temper!" Ecclesiastics 10:4
5. PEOPLE WHO EXCEL DO MORE THAN IS EXPECTED. This is a secret
that every successful person has discovered. You'll never excel
by only doing what is required - the bare minimum. Jesus said, "If
anybody forces you to go a mile with him, do more, go two miles
with him." Matthew 5:41
Oscar Hammerstein told a story of seeing the top of the head of
the Statue of Liberty up close from a helicopter. What impressed
him was the incredible detail the artist had sculpted on an area
of the statue that the artist never expected anyone to see. The
artist had no idea man would someday fly above his statue!
When you are tempted to cut corners and you think "No one
will ever know."
Remember God is looking down and sees everything you do. Give it
your best this week!
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EVERYTHING COUNTS
But the fact is that until you move out of the comfort zone
and get the experience from making the mistakes, it's not
possible for you to grow and become the person that you desire.
Remember, Everything that you do counts. The biggest mistake
that people make is they think that only what they want to
count, counts. That when you read a book, when you listen
to an audio program, when you go to a course, when you go
to bed early and you get up early and you work, it all counts.
And it's all going on the plus side of your ledger. But when
you watch television, waste time, hang out, fool around and
so on, all of that counts as well and it's going on the negative
side. A person who has a great life, by the law of accumulation,
is a person who's accumulated far more credits on the credit
side than debits on the debit side. And here's an important
point: If what you are doing is not moving you toward your
goals, then it's moving you away from your goals. Nothing
is neutral. Everything that you're doing is either moving
you toward the things that you want to accomplish in life,
the person you want to be, the wealth you want to accumulate,
or it's moving you away. Everything counts.
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Remember, we live in a knowledge-based society,
and knowledge in every field is doubling approximately every seven
years. This means that you must double your knowledge in your field
every seven years just to stay even. You're already 'maxed out'
at your current level of knowledge and skill. You've reached the
ceiling in your career with your current talents and abilities.
If you want to go faster and farther, you must get back to work
and begin to prepare yourself for greater heights. You must put
aside the newspaper, turn off the television, politely excuse yourself
from aimless socializing and get back to working on yourself.
A
quotation by Abraham Lincoln had a great influence on my life.
It was a statement he made when he was a young lawyer in Springfield,
Illinois. He said, 'I will study and prepare myself, and someday
my chance will come.'
If you study and prepare yourself, your
chance will come as well. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish
if you'll invest the effort to get yourself ready for the success
that you desire. And there is nothing that can stop you but your
own lack of preparation. Let me end with this beautiful poem
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: 'Those heights by great men won
and kept; / Were not achieved by sudden flight; / But they, while
their companions slept, / Were toiling upward in the night'
Your
possibilities are endless, your potential is unlimited, and your
future opens up before you when you prepare yourself for the
success that must inevitably be yours.
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