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Cultivating Habits of Excellence
Striving for Excellence is a Worthwhile Endeavor
When you read the phrase “habits of excellence” what comes to mind? For much of my life, I gave little thought to excellence. Instead, my goal was perfection, even though I didn’t use that word. I just wanted to get things “right” once in awhile. In that pursuit, the term “right” was code for “perfect” and happened very rarely.
In my mind, I believed that everyone around me was better suited to achieve goals in every area of their lives, while I was inferior and not likely to amount to much. Because I kept telling myself this with my self-talk and actions, it became my reality.
Can you imagine living each day with this mindset? For too many years and for reasons too varied to go into here, I’ll share that my confidence and self-esteem were at all-time lows. My opinion of myself was based on my mistaken belief that I was not smart enough, capable enough, and not “enough” in even the most simple ways. I thought that almost anyone else in the world was more likely to achieve their goals, and more deserving as well.
So, how did think thinking serve me? Not very well, as you can already imagine. My life was one of repetition more than habit. Sometimes, when something special happened in my life I was happy and excited. Soon, those…
