Your Excellency

It was Andrew Carnegie, a business magnate and philanthropist, who wrote that "you cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb a little". An everyday folklore says you can lead a horse to the river but you can't force it to drink water. Anyone who is destined for excellence must have a teachable spirit; always aiming to set new records and gaining new grounds. The drive for excellence is internal whereas the outcome is external. To excel is to be extremely successful, exceptionally good, superior in accomplishment or surpass others in achievement. According to John W. Gardner, excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. A man or woman of excellence cannot be ignored. Excellence enhances your real worth. It improves your value greatly.

While searching for an important document last year, I stumbled on a long-forgotten treasure - my valedictory speech. In life, certain roles are bestowed on you because of your achievement(s). One of such is the - once in a lifetime(?) - role of the valedictorian. A role reserved for the best amongst graduating students of a particular academic institution in a particular year because they deserved it. I had such a unique and wonderful experience in 1991.  Towards the eve of the convocation ceremony, I was handed a piece of paper and a pen by the administrative official with the expectation of crafting my speech within the shortest time possible. The office was almost closing for the day and the speech would still have to be typed by the administrative secretary. Instructively, the thoughts penned down remained evergreen. However, I would recall that the euphoria at the event on that fateful day was at best ephemeral. So short-lived that moments after the delivery, I felt "empty". Cursorily, I learnt a very important lesson from that experience. You are as good as your last accomplishment. Hence, you just have to keep pushing the boundaries in subsequent phases of life.

Why did I choose the title "Your Excellency" for this article? Choosing a title of honour reserved for privileged few in the society is a deliberate act of provocation. You can't rise beyond your self-limiting beliefs. Brian Tracy says, "you begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights". If you want to excel in life, you must belief that you can. Then, you can take the next steps listed below –

·        Be very sure you love what you do.

·        Set your mind on expected end.

·        Learn what it takes to reach your goal and work at it.

·        Work hard and work smart.

·        Cherish time as highly valuable resource not to be wasted.

·        Continuously upgrade yourself - Keep learning.

·        Seek feedback for continuous improvement.

·        Lend helping hands to others by way of coaching or mentoring

·        Know that every problem has a solution, hence pursue excellence relentlessly.

It doesn't matter which area of MEGA BALISTIC RAMMON you belong, excellence is attainable. Whether in Military, Energy, Government or Academics (MEGA), Business, Advertising, Law, Infotech & Telecomms, Sports, Tourism, i-World (comprising entertainment and media) and commerce (BALLISTIC), Religion, Agriculture, Mining, Medicine and Other Nuances of vocations (RAMMON), the world is waiting for “excellent you”. Go for it, "Your Excellency".