The Pursuit of Excellence

So, is it worth it?

Do we even know what it costs?

Is the pursuit of excellence worth the cost, what if it is our only prize, what if we pursue excellence and never reach it. Is just the pursuit of excellence worth it?

Things to think about as we are early into this year. I hope that these words challenge you. I have the answer to this question and the answer is Yes! Yes to all of the above. God created us for greatness, not mediocrity. We all have the ability within us to be great at something. None of us have an excuse to not pursue excellence and greatness. I don't believe that there is nobility in pursuing excellence in something you hate just for the sake of pursuing excellence. Go do something else!!! Something you love! The people who actively pursue excellence are typically in a field or activity that they love. Something they are passionate about. There can be no excellence without passion, without feeling, without sacrifice, without failure, without heartache, without help from others, without exhaustion, without courage, and without vision. You always have a choice! You are not stuck! You just aren't willing to do what it takes, so take a deep look at yourself. What is holding you back? Is it the sacrifices your family will have to make? Is it you level of comfort? Are you scared? Have others tried and failed, maybe even better people than you? Be honest! Until we know what is holding us back, we can't address it. And just because we address it doesn't mean it changes. You will still be scared. You family will still have to make sacrifices. People you consider better than yourself have failed and you probably will have failures and setbacks too.

Life is hard. Pursuing excellence is hard. That is why it is so appealing. Most likely, you are already doing easy things. You re already living comfortably. You already eat out more than you should, you already sit in front of the tv for 3-4 hours in the evening, you already pay to put your child in extra curricular activities, so you don't have to spend too much time with them. You already go to church on sunday morning and don't think about your faith until the next Sunday Morning. We all do these easy things, because we are selfish and weak. I have done everything on this list at one time or another. We are selfish and weak, but we yearn for greater things! Why do you think we love movies so much. We want to be those people. We want to be someone's hero, but everything in our world is so comfortable and we are told everyday that this is the american dream. An easy life with nice cars, nice houses, nice clothes, and plenty of food on the table.

THIS IS NOT WHAT OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON! THIS IS NOT WHAT GOD MADE US FOR!

I love this country because of how we came into existence. The founding of this country was a pursuit of excellence. People made real sacrifices. Their families made sacrifices. They were scared, but they pressed on. People went without to make this country great. They died horrible deaths to make this country great. They killed others to make this country great. Others who became too comfortable in their power. Others who didn't pursue excellence. Other's who pushed their views on them and told them how they could or couldn't live. This country isn't great because we allow people to live in the suburbs and drive nice cars and have 401k's. This country is great because we stop others from committing travesties against other people or groups of people. This country is great because, as a people, we reach out to others in devastation and we help them. This country may not yet be excellent, but I believe we are in the pursuit of it.

We must pursue excellence, no matter the cost. In the end we have one life to give, not to keep. Being happy with our mediocrity is just another way to try and keep our lives. We must give them away. We must give them away to the pursuit of excellence. If you don't no one will remember you. You are just a waste of space and resources that could be used by others in the pursuit of excellence. Hard words, but Truth.

Pursue excellence, make a difference...Live your life with passion and you will inspire others to do the same.