Let's begin with the definition of Excellence. That way, we'll be on the same page when it comes to understanding what it means to be a Person of Excellence.

Here's the definition:

"Excellence is the act of becoming the fullest expression of your unique, God-given design."

Let's parse that:

"...the act of becoming..." - this means that we will never know what it means to be fully expressing our unique design in this life. Excellence then is an action. It's the becoming, always working forward.

"...the fullest expression..." - this is the manifestation of who you are. It's the tangible, observable set of behaviors that emerge from who you are.

"...of your unique, God-given design." - you were created. Any creation is a reflection of the greater creator. You may not believe as I do, but I want you to consider the idea that, given the complexity and yet simplicity of our bodies, we were not a random accident.

Okay, with the definition, let's proceed...

Observe a Person of Excellence and you will see a general consistency where 2 dynamics are taking place:

• First - they are increasingly fulfilled in today. They recognize, and revel in, the fact that the present is a present.
• Second - they are investing in lesser regrets in the future.

Fulfillment today goes up.

Regret tomorrow goes down.

Sounds like a cool way to live, no?

Here are 3 signs of personal excellence. See if they match what you are doing in your life:

ONE: A person of excellence knows who they are.

Research has determined that the chances of you being born are 1 in 400,000,000,000. If you are reading this blog post, chances are, you won the lottery!! A Person of Excellence understands these odds and embraces the uniqueness.

A Person of Excellence understands where they generally fall on 2 spectrums: Pace and Orientation.

PACE: There is a continuum of pace. On the extreme left is slow and methodical. On the the extreme right is fast and impulsive. Both are equally harmful if taken to the extremes. But we all fall somewhere on that continuum. It is the Person with Excellence who knows where that position is.

ORIENTATION: As with pave, there is also a continuum of orientation. On the extreme left is task orientation. On the extreme right is people orientation. Both are equally harmful if taken to the extremes. But we all fall somewhere on that continuum as well.

That leads to 4 possible areas:

1. Fast-Paced, Task Orientation (entrepreneurs)
2. Slow-Paced, Task Orientation (accountants)
3. Fast-Paced, People Orientation (some salespeople)
4. Slow-Paced, People Orientation (counselors)

A Person of Excellence is always reviewing their personal aspirations. Yes, they have goals. Yes they have some planning and preparing in their life. But they are regularly going deep inside to remind themselves of why they are on the earth. Aspirations comes from the old French term relating to breath. Since breath is something we take with us everywhere we go, aspirations transcend goals and plans. They are a description of who we bring to every goal and every plan.

TWO: A person of excellence is actively expressing their design.

At our church, the tech team will utilize two elements as part of worship. Light beams and smoke. Stage lights are generally seen for what they are. However, they also are designed to give off a light beam. The beams are not always evident unless you have the other element, smoke. It is the smoke that reveals the light beam, adding a richer experience in worship.

The same is true for the Person of Excellence. They are not only content with their unique design. They are actively engaged in the expression of that design. They don't just have the light beams. But they are creating the smoke that brings out those light beams.

THREE: A person of excellence is fallible.

Seems strange at first to combine the idea of excellence with failure. But I would like to make the case that it is the essence of fallibility that is central to a life of excellence. Look at the merits of failure:

Failure reveals a better path.

Failure leads to humility (which leads to knowledge).

Failure protects from ego-centric fatality.

The Person of Excellence uses their own fallible nature to work for them. They leverage it to create a life of humble iteration. Without humble iteration, it is impossible to become the fullest expression.

Are you a Person of Excellence?

What traits have I missed?