Excellence Is A Process

     

     We live in a culture where everyone wants things immediately. We want our food served fast, we want money fast, we want success fast; we pretty much want anything we desire fast. Sometimes we want  excellence fast because that’s how we are programmed in this technological world we live in.  The only issue with this mentality is that excellence is a process. So if you want to display excellence, it doesn’t happen by sprinkling fairy dust on your head. Five star restaurants usually don’t make their best dishes in the amount of time Checkers makes their burgers. Why, because five star restaurants have a higher standard of excellence and more time must be used to live up to the standard they set for themselves. Sometimes things getting done fast has its place but if you really want to master a specific craft you have to go above and beyond the average work ethic level you see in others. At the end of the day you have to put the hours in. Take advantage of every moment, never waste a minute. We should strive to live out Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The amount of blood, sweat and tears you shed will determine the amount of potential you tap into. So many people just do enough to get by and they cut themselves short.  If you have been called to greatness you have to put in work. You have to cultivate the passion that God has wired you with. Do not let petty things get to you, never let something small distract you from a big goal. You have to persevere and keep your mind focused on the reward. Proverbs 13:4 - the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Let’s examine some individuals that I feel have displayed excellence in some way. 

Michael Jordan: 

Michael Jordan’s physical education teacher said this about him:

“I normally get to school between 7 and 7:30. Michael would be at school before I would. Every time I’d come in and open the doors, I’d hear the basketball. Fall, wintertime, summertime. Most mornings I had to run Michael out the gym.” – Ruby Sutton, phys ed teacher at Laney High, Wilmington N.C

     Michael Jordan was one of the most the competitive individuals; he didn’t want anyone to outwork him. He was so hungry to be the best. Jordan’s work ethic proved he loved the game more than anyone in the league. His relentless desire to be the best built the ladder that took him to the highest echelon of basketball. The majority of basketball analysts have crowned him the greatest basketball player of all time. Did he dominate a decade because he was 6’6 or was it because he played for UNC? No, that’s not all there is to it. Jordan was blessed with a gift to play basketball but so have millions of others. There are a vast amount of people who stand 6’6 tall and can play b-ball. There are many players that have gone to UNC and have been coached by Dean Smith but no one pushed themselves the way MJ did. Michael Jordan was in the gym on a daily basis. Take some time to Research about the break feast club; this was a practice before the Chicago Bulls official practice session. Yes he practiced before practice!!! He pushed past any fear of failure and greatness was the result. Michael Jordan decided to embrace the process of becoming the greatest basketball player of all time through sacrifice.

Here is a video that gives you an idea of how hard Michael Jordan worked:

Eminem:

     Eminem has sold more records than any other artist in the 2000’s. He is known to be one of the greatest lyricists of all time. If you do some research you will find out that he wrote over 200 songs for his recovery album. That is amazing. He wrote hundreds of songs to put together a 17 track CD. That’s a grind! Eminem was once working a regular job, he was once considered a failure by many. He lost the Rap Olympics but he never quit. He was diligent and it paid off.

In this article Obie Trice mentions Eminem’s work ethic:

http://www.ballerstatus.com/2012/04/10/qa-obie-trice-fallout-with-interscope-learning-from-eminem-selling-ems-couch-on-ebay/

Charles Spurgeon:

     Charles Spurgeon was one of the hardest working human being that ever walked on planet earth. He is the most widely read Christian preacher (apart from the biblical ones). No Christian author comes close to the amount of material this man produced through the Holy Spirit. He had to use his God given talents in order to pump out all that material (Matthew 25:14-30). There is so much I could say about him but would like you to read these facts and get inspired.

Facts on Charles Spurgeon found on link:

http://www.spurgeon.org/spurgn2.htm

     Many of us strive to leave a legacy. We must know that leaving a legacy takes time. You know cannot build an empire in one day, Excellence is a process. Making excellent art is a process, developing excellent athletic ability is a process, having a deeper relationship with God is a process. Don’t think you can come out the wood works and be great at something. You got to have the passion to go all the way. 

Cool Video On The Process Of Life::

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Bless!!!