Personal Excellence

Written by Renee Wright

Personal excellence is something that we all should strive for. It is built upon our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus has set the example for how we are to live. He helps us with our problems; He saves us from our sins; and because Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can “do all things through Christ which strentheneth me,” then shouldn’t we strive for excellence in everything we do?

Personal Growth
When we think about personal excellence, many different areas and aspects of our lives come to mind. The first is personal growth. We should never stop learning. Look for ways to improve your job skills or to learn new skills. We sometimes focus solely on work-related training, but we also should look for personal-growth workshops. Perhaps you want to learn a craft, take up photography, or attend a Bible study. To be the best you can be and to strive for personal excellence, keep your mind active.

Personal Organization
Many of us claim to be organized, but we are not organized in every area. I can be organized at work and even at my church responsibilities; but when it comes to organization at home, I find myself searching for my son’s school uniform, that phone number my husband needs, or remembering that I forgot to thaw the chicken for dinner! We need to develop routines and ways to help juggle our many tasks. Have your children get all items for school ready the night before. Decide on your meal for the next night and put the meat into the refrigerator from the freezer. Use a daily planner or master calendar to help keep up with where each family member is to be. To be the best you can be and to strive for personal excellence, try to organize your life.

The Cameo Acronym of Personal Excellence
Our personal style is an outward expression of the uniqueness in which God made each of us. We should all have our own style. We often try to imitate someone else’s clothes style, hairstyle, or mannerisms. One of my favorite Web sites, www.women-of-faith.com, shared an article titled “Style 101: Carbon Copy or Original” by Michal Rutledge in which she shared the acronym CAMEO for personal style:

Consistent.—Don’t you just admire those women who, whether you see them in the grocery store, at a soccer game, at work, or at church, always look so put together and present themselves so well? That is being consistent. Whenever you leave the house, be ready “from head to toe.”

Attitude.—The Bible tells us that what is in our heart will show on the outside (Prov. 27:19). Try always to portray a positive attitude. Smile when you meet or greet another. Establish and maintain eye contact. Use the other person’s name. Observe basic rules of politeness and etiquette. Listen more than you talk.

Mysterious.—Michal Rutledge quotes Proverbs in her article about personal style: “A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout” (11:22, NLT). We need to make sure that the way we dress causes the main focus to be our face, not our body.

Effortless.—Everything you wear, your makeup, and your hairstyle should all work together to create your personal style. You want to make it look effortless.

Organized.—Complete your overall look by adding appropriate accessories. Keep your purse, shoes, or briefcase in good condition inside and out. Choose a traditional leather-style handbag if you prefer to use one handbag for everything. Make sure your hairstyle is in keeping with your age. Shortening the hair as you age “will give your face a healthy lift by drawing the eye upward.” Remember that people notice your hands, so keep lotion nearby and your nails neat.

Personal style is not the most important thing in life, but looking your best exemplifies care of yourself as a child of God.

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
In addition to personal growth, organization, and style, we need to be aware of our personal strengths and weaknesses. We are not all good at everything. We need to know our strengths and spiritual gifts so we can plug into areas that give us the opportunities to use them. We will do our best when we tap into our strengths.

  “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him: who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Because we have faith in God, we need to trust Him to provide what we need. Two common weaknesses among us today are stress and worry. Because of our faith in God, we can be free from worry.

Have you ever had days when you felt like popping some popcorn without putting the lid on? There are times when we are just stressed out and not at our personal best.  John 5:30 tells us to try to please God and not ourselves. We worry about what others will think about us, that someone else might get ahead of us, or if someone disagrees with us. If we focus on pleasing God, it will help eliminate stress because we will always be doing the right thing. To be the best you can be and to strive for personal excellence, recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Personal excellence is built upon our faith in Jesus.

Renee Wright is ministry assistant to Dr. Kenneth Dobbs, Georgia Baptist Children’s Home, Palmetto, Georgia.

 

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