Think of your favorite adventure movie. Now imagine how short the movie would be if the main character simply accomplished his goal with no adversity, instead he simply set out on his journey and fulfilled his purpose. The first literary example that comes to mind is the Lord of the Rings. Had Tolkien done away with the challenges that Frodo faced, there would have been no need for a trilogy of books, and it is likely that it would not be a beloved book and movie franchise today.

The journey to excellence isn’t linear. Far from it in fact. You may hit more than your fair share of roadblocks along the way, but it’s all part of your journey. Have you ever heard of an Asymptote? Think back to those Algebra classes that you forgot after high school.

“An Asymptote is a line that a curve approaches, as it heads toward infinity”. Think of this line as excellence.

Your journey to discover your unique God-given design is like the curve along the asymptote, it may turn and cross the line many times. It’s important to understand that over time the longer the line and the curve continue, the closer to zero (excellence) the curve becomes. What does this mean in non-mathematical terms? The longer you pursue excellence, the closer you will become to reaching your goal of Mature Unconscious Competence (MUC).

It may not seem like it at the time, but the obstacles that you encounter along your journey provide you with the insight to move towards a fuller understanding of your unique God-given design. Going back to Lord of the Rings, each time that Frodo faced adversity on his journey to destroy the ring, he better understood how and why he had to reach his destination. It is the same for your journey of excellence. Each hurdle you work around will over time bring you closer to excellence. 

Action Step

• Think back to the beginning of your journey, what obstacles have you faced in your pursuit of excellence over time?
• As you establish what your goal of excellence is, have the obstacles lessened?
• Consider keeping a timeline or journal to visually track your progress towards reaching your unique God-given design.
• Revisit your accomplishments throughout your journey when you feel like you’re not making progress or headed away from your goal.

Photo Cred