Inspired by Excellence

Recently, I was given the unique privilege of playing on one of the world's premiere golf courses - Pebble Beach. I'm not a golfer, but I love golf. So, I accepted the invitation. It was actually a Fire Bible fundraising event, which explains why I was invited. At any rate, the experience alone was noteworthy for me. One aspect I walked away with was the determined value of excellence - everywhere, from the staff personnel to the gardeners. No one was seen skipping over the details. I was impressed by that, but more...I was inspired...to look into my life and see what I could do to improve. I've taught many times on this concept of excellence. One certain teaching comes to mind: "The Better Side of Leadership." In that lesson I discuss how we can keep from allowing "good" get the "best" of us. Pat Riley said it like this: “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” A close examination of all our life's compartments can disclose particular areas to improve. One question we can and should ask ourselves frequently is, "Am I giving all I can to what God has called me to do at this point in my life?" An email that was sent to me a number of years ago said the following: “Excellence can be obtained if you…care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible.” That's similar to the inspiration I left with from Pebble Beach. More thoughts on this in the next blog.