Excellence: Capacity building and Self development

By Ms Kanyiri

 ” Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

ARISTOTLE

Excellence means being exceptionally good and outstanding in all you commit to do. Well, It just means striving to be the best you can be and to do the best you can do in all your endeavor’s. Excellence reflects moral virtue and therefore strives towards what is positive, valuable and praiseworthy.

Pursuing excellence begins from a point of  realizing that there is NO ultimate!! -You have to keep moving forward because there is more to God’s plan for you and me. Excellence comes as a result of building more capacity and developing yourself for increased efficiency. Bytheaway,  you might be asking yourself, “what is the whole point of developing and leading a life of excellence whose capacity is well built?” I will answer you shortly.

 I will start by narrating a small fable of a man who sets on one morning to chop trees.The man sets to work using a dull axe, and despite his best efforts, he makes very little progress. An  old man comes by and asks the man why he is struggling. The man explains that he is trying to chop down the tree, but his axe is too dull. The old man suggests to that man that he should take a break and sharpen his axe. The man is hesitant to take a break, feeling that he doesn’t have any  time to waste, but the old man insists, explaining that sharpening the axe will actually make the task easier and more efficient.The man finally takes a break and sharpens his axe. When he returns to the task of chopping down the tree, he finds that it is much easier and faster with a sharp axe, and he is able to complete the task in no time.

This metaphorical story shows the importance of taking breaks and investing time and effort into self-care, skill-building, and preparation before fulfilling our assignments.

“Pursuing excellence begins from a point of  realizing that there is NO ultimate!! -You have to keep moving forward because there is more to God’s plan for you and me.”

Building up and developing oneself takes significant time which may actually be mistaken for wasting time,  but in essence it is quite the opposite. It became easier for the man to cut the tree once he invested in sharpening his axe. The story emphasizes that taking time to sharpen our tools and skills can actually save us time and effort in the long run, and make us more effective and efficient in our tasks. And this actually clearly shows that developing oneself is for increased efficiency. Try to take a break from trying too hard and focus on sharpening  your skills. It may take listening to many scholars and reading hundreds of  books to perfect your writing skills, watching a number of tutorials to improve your cooking skills, attending a number of training sessions to better your coding skills and alot more. Achieving excellence is never easy to do. Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it’s so hard to find.

From a Biblical perspective, being outstanding or extremely good seem most applicable when it is seen as the pursuit of, or abounding in, Christ-like virtue. The fact that we have been perfected in Christ , does not exempt us from pursuing excellence.

This is a mistake oftenly made by arrogant believers . Self development also known as personal development covers the entire being. We develop spiritually, economically, academically and socially.

It is God’s will for us to develop. Outside Him, there is no development. It is only through Him and In Him that we can develop. Yes you heard me right. It is only through His way not the World’s way. Probably, you are wondering how, How so?  So, you want something more grounded, more of this world… Sorry, the Bible does not have much in common with these: leadership, speaker, success, team-building, manager qualities, training, speech, influence, vision, potential, focus, efficiency, business, coach, mentor and CEO. Not that it despises them − even its’  heroes have been recognized for these things – but puts in front of all these a coefficient of something else, an infusion of divine. Today, personal development is promoted without God. Instead, the biblical equation is clear: personal development = the knowing of God. so, if you want to know what does the Bible say, then look for people who have developed themselves with God.

“Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it’s so hard to find.“

 "And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man."- Luke 2:52

Have a closer look- see the personal development of Jesus: ‘Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men’.  An ideal example of how self development ought to be. It is a series of overlapping categories within four domains: mental (wisdom), physical (stature), social (favour with men) and spiritual (favour with God). Jesus has already set the bar for us. He has shown us how a life of excellence should be. He changed the entire portfolio of personal development. If we are to speak collectively, try Ephesians 4: 13-15, where the goal for all Christians is clearly set: to be as Christ, that is, to be at the height of His stature.

"But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in ALL things into Him who is the head -Christ." - Ephesians 4:15

The emphasy here is that we must grow in ALL things. He is the standard man. Jesus is the flawless standard man who knew the secret behind self development. We therefore must emulate Him , bringing us to the conclusion that self development comes from a point of knowing God first and then following the example of Christ.

“The biblical equation is clear: personal development = the knowing of God. so, if you want to know what does the Bible say, then look for people who have developed themselves with God.”

  In conclusion, it is indisputable that the  building blocks of excellence form the bedrock upon which personal development is constructed. Self-awareness, goal setting, continuous learning, resilience, self-care, and positive habits intertwine to create a robust foundation that propels you toward growth and achievement. Personal Excellence is the journey of positive development beyond one’s self and is a step by step process of improving oneself in every aspect of life. Although the process is difficult and requires patience but it benefits those who want to live a successful life of excellence.It requires building up on a life of discipline. Many things get in the way of pursuing excellence, including apathy, carelessness, and laziness. Our sinful nature is that part of us that is unlike God and is in fact in opposition to God and His excellence.  We cut corners, we shirk and we find ourselves  settling  for second best (or third or fourth best).

“God’s cure for our careless ways is to remind us that He is our ultimate judge. We must answer to Him for how we spend our time, our resources, and our energy . Striving for excellence should be a part of all we do.“

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”  - Colossians 3:23–24.

 Aware that it is Christ Himself we are serving, we don’t want to present Him with anything but excellence. Whether it is leading in praise team or serving the community or whether it is cleaning the church or pursuing our careers. we should strive for excellence in work ethic, in character, and in craftsmanship. No one is good at everything, but we’re all good at something. God expects us to develop the skills and gifts He has given us in order to serve Him and others better. Paul addressed the subject of excellence in Romans 12:6–8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” In other words, find your gifts and use them with excellence.

Blessings