When was the last time you felt your own unique excellence? In other words, when was the last time you felt your personal best? How would you describe the feeling of being excellent? How often does it happen? How can it happen more often? Does excellence start with you or does it start with the world around you?

These are various questions to ask ourselves as a way to get familiar with our own feeling of greatness. It can be a very inviting experience if we answer them wholeheartedly without holding back a grain of truth. We must approach our greatest potential as an unbounded mystery that is waiting to be discovered, inside and out. With this attitude, our fruitless certainties turn into intelligent curiosities; our innocent wander becomes courage to discover and create. The more we are present to this way of being, the more we begin to understand it, and naturally we remove the distractions and non-essentials that are in the way. The essentials are things that bring us peace and joy, and we can attain them through self-awareness and a willingness to learn. Personal excellence is a way of centering in on who we are and who we want to become at heart. Indeed, it can be a warm and inviting experience if we let it.

Excellence begins with a simple observation. As plain observers we can see the world for what it truly is rather than distorting it with our personalized interpretations. We can manage a clear mind by letting go of past and future thoughts, which illuminates the present moment and opens us to abundant possibilities. Through simple observation, we allow ourselves to experience what we are naturally inclined to and what makes us smile throughout the day. Needless to say, excellence does not come uninvited.

The term ‘excellent’ may seem intimidating because of institutional standards. Doubts may arise. Am I good enough? What about others who are better than me? What if I fail? Doubt has no place in the heart of a champion. The only real, important question is: how shall I proceed? Plan out the answers and advance through your heart. Let go of the past, forget the future, the most important thing in this world is the present. Tune into your current of excellence and enjoy every moment that unfolds. Keep in mind that the process is gradual, maybe even slow and delayed, but it is through calm successions that we can absorb the essentials.

Make mistakes generously. Making mistakes is a part of being human; it is how we learn but it can also hinder us from learning if we resist. We must be open to our past mistakes and accept and cherish them as tools for learning rather than points of shame or guilt. Embrace your past errors as your teachers, encouraging you to grow, not dictators holding you down to suffer. As we proactively choose the path of excellence, we begin to realize our ability to make mistakes and learn freely without the approval of others.

Being excellent is something that liberates us, not cripple us to other’s standards. It is a feeling that we must nurture and not leave unprotected. Therefore it is important to distinguish between those who inhibit us and those who encourage us to improve. We can attract the latter by seeing into the excellence of others and listening to them. Support your peers in their own ambitions while sharing your own; exchange insight and motivation. This way, we are sending out the message that we want to receive and are in the cycle of positive energy. By nature, excellence wants to be shared so our job is to simply allow it.

Stay focused on what matters most and use every moment as an opportunity to discover your greatest potential. Keep in mind this does not always have to be an exciting event or even require us to be “go-getters”; sometimes settled patience is all that is needed for the right circumstances to align.

Live and adjust,
Relax and strive,
Tune into the mystery,
Never be bored.