STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE : BY DEEPA PAUL

Strive for Excellence
By Deepa Paul ( pursuing English honors from Jesus & Mary College, New Delhi. Email Id : deepa.cpaul@gmail.com )

A generation committed to excellence is the need of the hour. Today there is a renewed thrust toward attaining the highest qualifications and the best specializations available. This is evidenced by the ever growing multitude of students aspiring to upgrade their profiles by super-specializing in their fields. Degrees are useless as long as excellence in academics is not translated into excellence on the job!

Clearly excellence is a valued trait that sets a person apart. The book of Proverbs says that a man who is skilled in his works, will stand before kings (Prov 22:29). Excellence helps us to carve our own niche in life. Excellence made Daniel and his friends appear distinct from their contemporaries during their exile in Babylon. The Bible shows Daniel as a man endowed with a "spirit of excellence" (Daniel 6:3).

E.Sreedharan, the 71-year-old civil engineer who has been credited with changing the face of the capital by bringing to it a world class metro rail, is known for his dedication, passion and discipline towards his work. His selection as one of 'the most outstanding Asians' by Time magazine is proof of his relentless pursuit of excellence.

Well known music maestro AR Rahman in his pursuit of excellence, mastered the many different styles of music - western classical, jazz, rock and Carnatic by the tender age of 19. Harris Jayaraj composer and one time assistant to the legend says, "I have learnt many things from many music directors. If you single out A. R. Rahman, I can quote his relentless labour, high enthusiasm, and commitment to the tasks at hand..." It does not come as a surprise then that the Oscar winner is frequently hailed as a 'die-hard perfectionist.' Today his studio - Panchathan Record Inn is reputed to be one of India's most well equipped and advanced recording studios. It is also one of the most comprehensive sonic libraries in Asia! When Wipro (software company) won the 'Risk Management Award,' Azim Premji, its Chairman & Managing Director was asked, " What is that which makes this company so successful? "An obsession for excellence," he replied. The man who is credited with transforming Wipro into one of the world's foremost software companies recognizes "the single-minded pursuit of excellence" to be that one thing needed in a changing world.

As Christians, we are entrusted with the responsibility of being excellent because the God we serve is the very epitome of excellence. Reflecting Christ means reflecting his attributes through our lives. If God gave us not his mediocre but his best - His son Jesus - how much more we who enjoy His best must pledge ourselves to excellence? The challenge for us thus is to be a generation that emulates Christ and his excellence in all that we undertake being consciously aware that when we work, we work unto him and not unto people (Col 3:23).

Bollywood Shahenshah Amitabh Bacchan recently blogged - "My thinking, my demeanor, my deeds, my standard of work in my profession of work, may all have to stand the test on the day of redemption and I can just pray and hope I may qualify." The man's reflections startlingly reminds us of God's words in Ecclesiastes 12:14 of our works that God will call into judgment, even things done in secret, good or bad. How much more should we be conscious of divine scrutiny. Such a heightened consciousness will only motivate us to be excellent in every thing we do.
pursuit of excellence is different from those of the worlds in that it is not aimed at attaining that which is worldly but at that which is heavenly; of giving glory to God. Christian excellence must then be propelled by an inherent desire to bring honour to God ; to please Him. Only if our impulse towards excellence is God oriented are we in the right direction. In our pursuit of excellence may we not forget that excellence is just a means to attain the end - that of glorifying God. May it in itself, never become the end for our lives.
However there is a price for attaining this virtue - that of sacrifice. Because being excellent requires us to move beyond our comfort zones. It involves giving up moments of rest,complacency and procrastination. Instead re-directing our energies to work hard, be self motivated and focused. It also requires a self assessment of one's strengths and weaknesses. And also requires diligent working upon weakness to turn them into ones strength. Make sure you undertake all things that could contribute to your excellence; it can help you be the best in your field. For in doing so, you bring praise to your Father in Heaven who desires you to excel and not be the second best (Duet 28:13).
Azim Premji in his '8 Steps to Excellence' defines humility as the last and most important step towards excellence. Peter says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up in due time" (1 Pet 5:6). Our excellence should only draw us closer to God, not distance us from Him. This is possible only if we imbibe Christ like humility. All heroes of faith operated on humility. Even the heroes of India - E. Sreedharan, A R Rahman and Aziz Premji - are praised for remaining genuinely modest and humble despite the successes that have tasted. Their stories too stand testimony to the working of the principles of the Bible; they are blessed because they are humble.