So, though a bit out of order, I spoke a few posts ago the coolest, awesomest, most life-changing decision you could make, the excellence decision, the choice as I say in my keynote, “Become a Virtuoso.” Virtuoso is a musical term for someone who’s reached the top of their art-form, someone who pursues excellence to the utmost. I also mentioned that in the absence of this decision the default is not greatness, or even goodness. The default is mediocrity.
It is no doubt easy for me to say “do this, it’ll be great, trust me,” to simply exhort you toward excellence. But that’s like every speaker in the world, isn’t it? Let’s instead take a look at the very predictable results of this decision. I mean, what if you did choose to live a life of excellence? What would that life look like?
First of all, your work is no longer “putting in time.” You exceed expectations in everything. You do whatever it takes to become amazing, to be the best at what you do. You seek feedback and improvement through modeling and learning from those you respect. You have a passion for learning. And, given that time is life, you manage your time well. And best of all, by doing the above your income will ultimately rise accordingly.
That said, you no longer take your finances for granted. You set long term goals, you are frugal, you seek professional financial council, and you operate from a budget and a plan. You take full responsibility for your financial well-being.
Your health – particularly your diet, exercise, and emotional/mental health – is no longer optional or occasional. You have decided to change bad habits, adopt better habits one at a time, and do whatever it takes to get and stay healthy.
Your relationships are now intentional. You strive to become the best spouse, parent, friend, and co-worker you can be. You become the one people rely on, at the same time allowing yourself to rely on others you trust.
Finally, and in every way, you become a servant. All excellent human beings, even those in the spotlight, consider themselves servants of others. It is a divine paradox that when you put others first and serve them, your needs get met in the process, in ways you could never expect.
Richard Bach once wrote, “Here’s a test to see if your purpose in life is over: If you’re alive, it isn’t.” That means there is most definitely a profound, divine and wonderful reason that you are where you are right now, even reading this post. This world needs excellence… your excellence. What you’ll find is that excellence, though seemingly harder at first, is in the long run considerably easier than mediocrity. It is also easier by comparison because of the extraordinary lack of it in this world. Bless yourself and everyone around you with the choice of a lifetime: Choose excellence. Become a Virtuoso! … and stay tuned for more ways to do that at this blog.
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