INTRODUCTION: THE CALL TO PURSUING EXCELLENCE.

The moment you gave you a life to Christ you have been translated from living the life of
mediocre to live of excellence. Our God is excellent in all his ways and doing.

Looking at the work of creation,

Gen.1.31 says "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in
every way. This all happened on the sixth day". (NLT)

Ps.139.14 Also says "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are
thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well". (KJV)

the firmament, Ps.19.1 says

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.
(AMP)

the beautiful birds, the plants, the rainbow, the stars, the moon, the rain and the creation of
men. They all speak of the excellent work of our father.

Matt 5 verse 48 says "but you are to be perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect"

Excellent brings perfection and pursuing excellence in life will make you stand out from the
crowd.

Gal.6.9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in
due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage
and faint. (AMP)

When you go an extra mile in pursuing excellence without relenting according to the scripture
above, it will increases your confidence and self esteem and you will find joy and confidence to
want to take up more tasks.

CHAPTER 1: THE EXCELLENT MINDSET.

Having an excellent mindset will help you to keep surpassing the standard of expectation
because you will keep aiming to be the best version of yourself. Cultivating an excellent mindset
will always make you look out for ways to continually get better in health, career relationship,
work, personal development and growth. Etc.

2Pet.1.5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your
faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God
better. (NLT)
When you start to develop a mindset of excellence the scripture above says that it will lead you
to know God better which is the greatest thing that can happen to any man. And leading a life of
moral excellence which will draw more men to God because your life will reflect God through
your deeds and character.

If you want to live to your full potential in life there are prizes to pay, so I will be showing you
how you can cultivate an excellent mindset in order to surpass is all forms of expectation.

1 Review past goals and set a new one: Before setting a new goal it is important for you to know
where you are coming from by reviewing your past goals and achievements.

How were you able to achieve your past goals?

Were you committed to the plan?
At what point did you slack and give up? What happened that made you give up? What was the
percentage of your achievements?
Is there a plan to celebrate every little win/milestone?
How do you intend to do better next time?

After carefully reviewing the past you can now set your new goals, ensure that your new goals
are SMART i.e (Specific, measurable, Achievable, Relevant and time bound) allying with your
strength, interest and values.

2. Believe in yourself to boost your self-esteem: probably when reviewing your last goal you
discovered your self-esteem may have been affected because you couldn't meet and achieve
the goals. This is the time to focus on the percentage achieved in the last goal to boost your
self-esteem. Have faith in your ability to achieve the new goal you have set for yourself, say
positive things to yourself and have a good self image.

3. Determination: Be determined that no matter what comes your way on or before embarking
on the new goal you will be committed. Rehearse every likely obstacle you may face and use
past percentage goals achieved to affirm yourself to see the goal till completion.

4. Be deliberate in choosing your circle, surround yourself with positive minded people who are
happy living their life with a growth mindset, they are people who will always encourage you
whenever you find yourself slacking and unwilling to press further.

5. Focus on process not result: You must value every of your process and progress and
celebrate every of your little wins. Doing this will encourage you to do more, focusing on your
effort will not make you feel overwhelmed thereby leading to depression and inability to
complete your goal.

6. Have a positive affirmation because your positive affirmation will create positive thoughts and
that thought will have a direct impact on your emotions and feelings.
If proven that Plant seeds under the influence of the positive words had a higher germination
rate, and these plants grew taller, larger, and healthier than those in a negative environment.
How much more human beings. So taking your positive affirmation highly will have a great
impact on your mindset and success.

RECOGNIZING AND OVERCOMING SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS.

To cultivate an excellent mindset you need to identify and overcome your limiting beliefs. Those
beliefs you have considered to be true about yourself. It could be the feeling of "you are not
being enough" "not trusting in your ability" and the feelings of no time, money, love and
attention. Etc. All this stem from your childhood experience through your family, environment
and educational settings. Every child got their value and moral mostly from their parents,
teachers and other adults in their early life. if a child grew up in/with hostile and toxic
environment or parents the child may end up being aggressive and unloving adults, likewise a
child that was abandoned may grow to become clingy to any one around for fear of being
abandoned and lonely.

If such person find himself in a relationship he will do all is possible best to make the
relationship work but if eventually it doesn't work the feeling of "I'm not enough" "there's nothing
good about me" "I'm unlovable" will set in.

Yours maybe the feeling of

You don't deserve anything good,

You don't deserve to be happy,

You can never find the true love,

You don't have the capacity to do it,

There will never be enough money, time or you are not intellectual enough to get the job done.

You need to identify your limiting beliefs and begin to confront them because they revolve
around your life, work, goals, relationships and emotions. It usually comes in the form of
perfectionism, low self-esteem, procrastination and imposter syndrome which always affect
your productivity, happiness, health and relationships thereby stopping you from moving forward
in life.

To overcome your limiting beliefs you need to be aware of them,

Where are they coming from?

What are their effects on your overall life?

Are they holding you back?

Once this is done, the next is to come up with positive affirmation and declare them daily.
Practice mindfulness this will help you to stay in the present, relax your body and calm your
mind. Doing this regularly will help you stop the negative self-talk. Next is to practice journaling
by writing down your thoughts daily. This will help you to label and clarify your feelings and
Beliefs.

By following all that is written in this chapter you are preparing your mind for excellence.

CHAPTER 2: PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR FAITH.

Abraham was seen as the father of faith in the scripture and he was known for the depth of his
faith and obedience to the command of God. He obeyed God following his command promptly
without argument.

It was written in the book of proverb 3:5 that "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding" pursuing excellence in your faith by surrendering all to God and
following his leading will launch you into generational blessing just like Abraham the father of
faith.

In Genesis chapter 22:2-3 God told Abraham to go to the land of maurya and offer his son
whom in love, the son he gave birth to in his old age as a sacrifice of burnt offering he obeyed
and embarked on the Journey to offer his beloved son. When you got there with his servant he
told them he's going yonder to worship God and come back to them.

Abraham worshiped God in obedience by placing God first before his own needs. You can be a
pastor, worker, singer, church goer, Evangelist and not be a worshiper. Your worship must be
beyond what you can get from God. Worship is about putting God first and placing him above
your needs.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman how to worship him, it must be done in truth and in spirit with
sincerity of heart. Pursuing God in excellent worship is about you giving your all to him, placing
him above all others and giving him your best without holding back. It also requires your
obedience and faith.

It was through obedience that Abraham embarked on the journey and two times by faith. The
first time when he told his servants that he and his son are going yonder to worship God and
return to them, (Hmmm! How does he know he will come back with his son) The second time he
told his son when he asked him about the ram for the burnt offering and he said "God will
provide" and God did provide. There will be a supernatural provision where you worship God in
faith and obedience. He will make available to you what you don't have or what you gave up to
worship him.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN MINISTRY.

When people hear ministry they believe it is only meant for altar ministers like pastors. It could
also be for those on different mountains of influence that God has strategically placed in
different places all over the world for the purpose of his work. But to have and operate an
excellent ministry there are some guidelines to follow and I will share a few.

Your first assignment is to discover your purpose and where you are being called to serve
because you can't be serving excellently in the wrong ministry, there must be clarity of purpose
and assignment.

Be committed and dedicated to achieving excellence in that ministry, it could be in finance,

administration, growth, projects, art and culture, politics, media and entertainment. knowing fully
well that the command have been given that whatsoever your hand findeth to do do it the
diligently with all your mind.

Staying focused on the task without any form of destruction reminding yourself constantly of the
purpose you are in ministry without being carried away because of other sources in their
ministry Psalms 119: 113a says that I hate those who is double-minded you have to run the
ministry by Faith believing that one who has called you is faithful to the mandate of your
ministry.

Allowing the holy Spirit to lead and guide you. In planning and execution of all you have to do.
Waiting to know his mind concerning the assignment will help you guide against wasting
resources and time. Allowing him to take the lead will help you have ready answers and
solutions to challenges.

Be the student of the word knowing that faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of god
Romans 10: 17 and also has the psalmist says your word is the lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path, committing to the students of the world will prevent you from groping In darkness
and keep you in the part of excellence.

A life of prayer and fasting is a must to be able to tune into the holy spirit, hear and receive
God's direction for your ministry. Receiving guidelines and solutions for a particular situation will
come through fasting and prayer according to Mark 9:29. spend time presenting the cause of
your ministry before God in fasting and prayer.

CHAPTER 3: PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR WORK.

Prov.22.29 Observe people who are good at their work--skilled workers are always in demand
and admired; they don't take a back seat to anyone. (MSB)

Pursuing excellence in your business involves improving your customer service and increasing
your productivity through your adopted approach, driven by your leadership and management
skills.

it may take years to achieve this, but you should embrace and make it part of your business and
personal value.
Pursuing excellence will move your business and career from the status quo to be among the
sought-after in your industry. It will eliminate time, resources and money wastage, and
according to Proverbs 22 verse 29 that was quoted earlier it will place you on high demand.

Let me show you ways to build and achieve a culture of excellence in your business and career.

1. What is the goal and vision of your career or business? Setting a clear goal will guide
your performance execution. Who are your targeted audience? What are their pain
points? What problem are you solving for them? Where can you find them? Defining the
above questions will help you know what to do part-time and the steps to take.

2. Be committed once you have made it part of your personal value be sure to be
committed to it and Carry everyone that will be part of your team along get feedback
from them on how to serve your customer better. The way to get the Best of your team
on this is to include it in the employee performance standard.

3. Good quality and customer service These two are the major reasons you are in business
and it must be your top priority, which must be the call of employee performance
standards. Be ready to review your operation to meet up with feedback from your
customers and to be able to reach your goal. Embrace changes as you are pursuing
excellence in your business and it will position it for greater opportunities.

4. Expand your business mindset. it is said that, 'the future you cannot picture, you can
feature in it. What are you picturing concerning your business? Where did you see your
business in the next 5 to 10 years? Make it your habit to always think big and never be
satisfied with whatever you have achieved so far in your business. Develop an
unsearchable hunger for success, growth and impact.
PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR FINANCE

You can't talk about pursuing excellence in your business without mentioning your finances.
Having an excellent business structure that is generating income without having a plan on how
to manage the finances may put the business in penury. Below are ways to achieve excellence
in your finances.

1. Have a budget and create a financial plan yearly. Break it down into quarterly, monthly
and weekly. This will be your guide because without it, it will be difficult to measure your
performance. This plan will be a check on how compliance your business is and review
areas you have deviated from it. The plan will capture how cash flows in and out of your
business on a monthly basis, your personal savings and spending. the business
investment and how much will go into each investment. Doing this will curb unnecessary
spending.

2. Have and keep good financial records. This will help you to track all income and
expenditure, analyze the business performance against your plan. It will also help you
strike a good deal with financial organizations or any investors. Having and keeping a
good record will help you discover misappropriation of funds on time.

3. Upscale your financial knowledge: it is highly important to have some financial

knowledge and its activities that will help in guiding against some affordable losses.
Follow some financial organizations on social media, subscribe to newsletters and
review them, and watch companies' programmes on financial decision-making.

4. Think diversification: There is a popular saying that "do not put your eggs in one
basket" from the proceed of your business, invest part of your proceed in other
businesses like stock landed property real estate car dealership e t c though they may
be need for you to engage the services of an expert for better and professional decision
making.

5. Have a retirement plan. The financial plan must include your retirement plan from day
one. You plan for your retirement when your business is blooming and active, not when
it's nosediving and you are under pressure of planning for your future. Your long-term
investment should finance the requirements of your retirement plan.

6. Health is wealth. If your health is declining it may affect the smooth running of your
business. You may think living healthy is expensive until illness sets in. Eat healthy,
Engage in physical exercise, go for regular checkup and seek prompt medical attention.
Always ensure you keep fit and healthy.

CHAPTER 4: PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR HEALTH.

3John.1.2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep
well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. (AMP)

You can see how important it is for you to pursue Excellence in your health because it is the will
of your father as you have read the above scripture.

When you are mindful of how your body grows, feels and moves, cared for, and what you put
into it, it will function normally and be in total well-being.

Health conditions and life's challenges such as heart disease, stroke and some cancers,
Fatigue, injury and illness, will be far from you when you maintain good physical health
conditions.

Oftentimes people wait till sickness comes before they go for checkup, I'm sure you don't want
to fall into that category. You don't plan for war at the war front, you plan ahead of war. Likewise
your health, you don't wait until you are sick, ill or injured before you put the time and energy
into looking after your physical health. It is important to regularly monitor your overall physical
health and getting a check-up if you notice any irregularities in your physical health.

FOUR PILLARS OF GOOD HEALTH.

Like every building, pillars are important to support and uphold them from collapsing, likewise
your health. There are 4 pillars of good health that you need to pay attention to, to improve your
health. They will help keep your body running, and also do wonders for your emotional well-
being.

1. Nutrition: When you take adequate and appropriate nutrition it will help to support your
performance, recovery, mental clarity, and overall mood. I don’t believe in one size fits
all. To maintain a good nutrition that will provide your body with the nutrients and fuel it
needs to perform and recover. You need to know what to eat and when to eat by taking
into cognisance your profession. For example, the nutrition of an athlete would be
different from a footballer, likewise a bricklayer would be different from a model. Good
nutrition also reduces stress and inflammation in the body, which is associated with
injury, illness and mental health issues.

2. Sleep: So many people struggle with sleeping. From one distraction to another,
especially with phones.
but when you are deliberate about pursuing excellence in your physical health you will
be committed to turning off your lights when you ought to. knowing when to turn the
lights off. We focus on helping patients when you obtain sufficient sleep. It will help you
 to be productive and alert during the day. Getting adequate and enough sleep will help
you prevent excess weight gain, heart disease and increased illness and disease.
When you work towards resting and recovering after the stressful activities of the day,
both mentally and physically, it will enable your body to repair itself and be fit and ready
for another day.

3. Exercise: I've heard so many people say, I don't need any form of physical fitness, I am
fit already, I am not a plus size person, I eat rightly and at the right time, but what they
don't know is that Exercise isn't only meant for that, engaging in a regular exercise is
effective at easing your anxiety, tension, stress and boosting your mental and physical
energy, including your self-esteem and cognitive function. If you can't enroll in a gym for
a start, you can start with 30min walk daily and gradually take it up to 1 hour. All that
matters is your consistency.

4. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, massage, and meditation can help you manage
stress. Stress and inflammation contribute to chronic disease, and stress can show up in
many forms. A dangerous situation or work deadlines can create a stress response. The
body is designed to move from one place, so even at work you should observe a few
minutes of stretching and moving from office to office. When your body remains in the
place of static for long, it may cause joint pain and dysfunction.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH.

Physical and spiritual health are intertwined, so pursuing excellence in both is very important.
According to Rom.12.1

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your
sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. (MSB)

Reading carefully the above scripture you will notice that the pillars of good health mentioned
earlier were captured in the book of Romans you just read.

Now let's read further, the book of

1Cor.6.19 Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit?
Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high
price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of
you. (MSB)

Did you read that part that says you can't leave anyhow because your body is the dwelling place
of the Holy Spirit. As small as your body is, that is where God lives, that is his temple and God
can stay in a filthy place that is why pursuing excellence in your physical health is undebatable.
your spiritual health cant be excellent while your physical health suffers there has to be a
balance with both.

Referring to 3John.1.2 again, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your
body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. (AMP)

You see why I said your physical and spiritual health are intertwined because as your body keep
well your soul also keeps well you can't separate both of them.

Again 1Cor.3:16 - 17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? 17 - If any man defiles the temple of God, he shall God destroy; for the temple
of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Any man could be you, (you know?) according to verse 17 you may ask how? by defiling his
temple, which could be by the way you handle your physical health with negligent and not
following the four pillars of good health that was mentioned in the previous chapter.

After doing all you can to maintain a good physical health, how then can you pursue Excellence
in your spiritual health? Let's make David our case study. He was intentional about his
relationship with God, See his heart cry in

Ps.42.1 - As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. His
heart constantly yearn and pants for God (no wonder he was called a man after God's
heart)Acts.13.22

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he
gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfil all my will.

David showed us that an essential part of our spiritual health is to maintain constant
communication and fellowship with God in our prayers will us fit and connected in our spiritual
journey.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

Most times when people hear about mental health they believe it is for people that have
psychological or psychiatric problems they believe once they are not having any form of disease
or sickness they are fine.

Now let me break it down. Mental has to do with the mind while “Health is a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
When you hear question like "how are you" the auto response has always been "I'm fine" even
when your mind is not at peace and you have a lot bothering you.

Most times that response always comes from the place of "I don't want to be a burden to this
person" and already the signs are written all over you from Changes in your personality, in
emotions,
always isolating and withdrawing from social gathering, sudden absence of self-care, sense of
hopelessness or feeling overwhelmed, to warning Signs of Suicide.
The goal of having excellent mental health is for you to achieve and maintain a consistent state
of positive mental wellness, where you can thrive.

Now how can you maintain and pursue excellence in your mental health?

1. Live in the moment: Matt.6.34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,
and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you
deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (MSB)

Don't get yourself worked up by focusing on what you cannot change, learn to live in the
moment, the Bible passage says give your attention to what God is doing right now.
Focusing on what you cannot change will lead to depression and anxiety. another Bible
passage says cast all your cares upon the Lord for he cares for you.

2. Gratitude: 1Thess.5.18 Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants
you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (MSB) when you learn to give thanks in all
circumstances it sharpens your positive mindset and makes you see good in every
simile bad situation. It will improve your health, deal with adversity, and help you build
stronger relationships.

3. Giving: Giving to others increases your wealth according to Prov.11.24 The world of the
generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. (MSB)

And also It has been proven that giving decreases blood pressure and reduces stress.
This reduction promotes longer life and better health. Below are other benefits of giving.

It promotes social connection.

It makes you feel happy.
It is contagious.
It increases self esteem.
Lessen anxiety and depression.

4. Learn new skills: learning new skills will divert your attention from depressing thoughts to
the skill you are Learning. It will boost your self-confidence and raise your self-esteem, it
will help you build social connection and rapport and it will help you find your purpose
and build it, choosing a skill to learn must be from your interest, passion and value.
CHAPTER 5: OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE.

Facing obstacles is part of life and no one has the power to choose the obstacle to face and
when to face it. But one thing that is sure is that you have the power to control it and choose
how to respond to it.

James 1:2 says, My brethren,count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (KJV)

Also the book of John.16.33 says, I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be
unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience
difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." (MSB)

From the two scriptures above it shows that it is inevitable that challenges and obstacles will
come and how to handle them have been given in the book of James, by COUNTING IT ALL
JOY, knowing that the problem is for an appointed time after which there shall be joy and
celebration.

There are so many people who faced obstacles in the Bible and overcame but job stood out.
Even when his wife and friends advised him wrongly to cause God and die he knew so well that
with God his problem will definitely come to an end one day. As a Christian how you can
overcome obstacles is how deep your faith is in God.

OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION AND LAZINESS.

At one point or the other everyone has found themselves lazing around when they ought to get
busy and usually it is the feeling of being overwhelmed, lack of passion and enthusiasm, stress
or burnout, fear and anxiety, perfectionism, feeling bored or lack of faith in one's ability that is
the cause.

And procrastination is connected to risks of mental health issues and lack of poor impulse
control.

Oftentimes we confuse procrastination with laziness but they are not the same. When you
procrastinate it means you are choosing to do something else instead of the task that you know
you should be doing while laziness is inactivity and an unwillingness to act.

To ditch procrastination you have to replace being judgemental with curiosity. curiosity will keep
you going as you really want to know the root cause of what you've been curious about but
being judgemental will keep you in a depressing state, stuck and stressed out.
Below are a few steps you can follow to stop procrastination and laziness.

1. Always have a To-Do List.

2. Prioritize your To-Do List According to their importance.
3. Schedule and plan your project ahead.
4. Tackle and attend to your hardest tasks at your peak times.
5. Set for yourself time-bound goals.

Prov 6 : 4-7 Don't procrastinate--there's no time to lose. 5. Run like a deer from the hunter, fly
like a bird from the trapper! 6 You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a
thing or two. 7 Nobody has to tell it what to do.

Verse 4 says, Do not procrastinate for there's no time to lose, i.e no time to waste. No one has
ever procrastinated their way to success before and I don't think it’s going to happen anytime
soon. If there's anything important to you that you want to get done, it's time to get hold of
yourself and start now.

OVERCOMING DISTRACTION AND TIME MANAGEMENT ISSUES.

You can't talk of overcoming what you have not admitted you are having issues with, so the first
thing to do is to identify whether you are always being distracted and the areas you always get
distracted the most. To crush your goal learning how to overcome distraction is the best gift you
can give to yourself.

You can overcome your distractions and crush your daily routine with effective planning and
intentionally focusing on managing your time.

1. Set at least 4 daily rituals for yourself: The night before or when you wake up in the
morning ask yourself what are the 4 most important things for me to achieve today?
Prioritize them and start with the one that may be so tasking and demanding.

2. Ensure that your environment is distraction free: You have to eliminate all forms of
distraction from your work environment already there are so many distraction competing
for your attention, like phone calls, text messages, notifications from mail and especially
social media, so it is easy for your mind to get distracted or when your work environment
is cluttered and disorganized.

3. Identify your distraction habit and break them: first identify all the habits that usually get
you distracted, list them out and begin to build habits that will help you eliminate the
distractions to ensure you stay focused. These might feel like a simple thing but it will
 take commitment on your part to get the desired results but be rest assured that it is
going to be a transformational one.

4. Be Intentional: you can't talk of overcoming distraction without Intentionality. distraction

is not what you plan for me but you see them interrupting your daily work. Being
intentional will help you to remove all forms of distraction and stay focused because you
have already identified your areas of distractions and you're ready to work on them.

Following the above steps will help you to overcome distractions in your work and life which
will help you to be more productive in achieving better results in less time.