01st of November, 2018
“There’s going to be very painful moments in your life that will change your entire world in a matter of minutes. These moments will change YOU. Let them make you stronger, smarter, and kinder. Then straight out that crown and keep it moving. “– Erin Van Vuren-
We live in a world that shares an intense feeling of deep affection of accomplishments and success stories. Therefore, in cases we are asked to express the level of our life satisfaction we find ourselves describing about how “successful” we are. And in order to put more emphasis on our words we use indicators, such as our financial standing, the role we perform in the corporate hierarchy or even the fancy car we drive. It is sadly rare to describe ourselves as being a person who strives to achieve “excellence”.
Success and excellence are two words that are used alternatively. In order to clarify their meaning we must first define them. Both words have Latin roots: “successus” means result, outcome and “excellentia” refers to superiority, greatness, distinction in anything.
Within time we changed the interpretation of success and it became a measuring tool to compare the achievements of an individual against the achievements of others. In business, we call it benchmarking and it is all about getting it done and beating out the competition. Excellence, on the other hand, having preserved its timeless value is all about being the masters of ourselves and magnifying our gifts, talents and abilities to perform our highest potential and exceed our own expectations.
Being successful does not necessarily mean you are excellent, and being excellent does not necessarily mean you are successful. It depends on how we have prepared our mind to comprehend. Success seeks the external in comparison to others’ status, power, prestige, wealth, and privilege. Success may be affordable and accessible to the mass and you even have the options to take shortcuts to get there. Excellence is an internal seeking satisfaction in having done your best in relation to your own potential. It cultivates your principles, character, and integrity. Excellence has a premium cost, but it is the most lasting and rewarding ideal.
It is a true and undeniable fact that we must always value the importance of hard work in order to excel and become the masters of our fears, to overcome obstacles, to act and take the risks outside of our comfort zone and prepared to deal with ‘crows’ ready to attack. As we reach the pinnacle of success we must keep our mind set to excellence. This state of mind will bring us out from the rest and help us stand out in uniqueness and exceptional quality.
Performing in a spirit of excellence reveals a lot about who we are and how we are perceived by those around us. It is a form of superiority no one should neglect or ignore. However, this spirit of excellence should not be limited by the nature of the task and related to what we do, but how and why we do it no matter how humble or menial we consider our working position, financial or social status. Excellence works against half-hearted, drift-along, or go-with-the-flow mindsets and mentalities and it drives us to do better each time, beyond average. In our jobs, there is a bar we are expected to perform and there is a bottom line we need to meet. Excellence is to go beyond the bar and climbing higher than the set standard.
If you are going to accomplish something, build a business, write a book, make a presentation, host an event or whatever the case may be, do it with excellence. Be the best. Make it memorable. It is easy to go along with what everybody else is doing but it is more challenging to pursue excellence, to make a difference and rise above the masses. A lot of people long for the crown and perform like kings or queens, but they are not willing to fight for it or bleed for it. It takes a lot of pain and courage to master the crow first and then conquer the crown!
Empower yourself to build your kingdom of excellence. Then, wear your crown created from your hard work, your inexhaustible passion and your ultimate commitment. Decorate it with precious stones that symbolize each one of your priceless and timeless values.
“Your crown has been bought and paid for.
Put it on your head and wear it with pride.”– Dr. Maya Angelou-
CVP
