Everything with Excellence

(Once again, I was asked to draft a 400 word article for STAR News, a publication for Law Enforcement Personnel. This piece is on excellence.)

A few years back, we purchased a computer desk for my son’s bedroom. The conversation went something like this: “Instructions? Who needs instructions? I know exactly how to do it, and don’t need a piece of paper to put it all together. I surely don’t need anyone looking over my shoulder as I do it. Trust me, I’ve got it handled.”

You can imagine my wife’s amusement after it was all said and done, and it looked pretty good, but there were four bolts, several nuts, and a couple of wood dowels left over. The conversation shifted from the confident boasting to a less-than-confident self-assurance: “Those must be extra parts… Anyway, it looks perfect. I am sure it will be just fine.”

Life is much like that day of building furniture. Full of opportunities to shortcut our actions without anyone knowing and ripe with the ability to make things look perfect though we know they are not. The reality is that we can get by with those behaviors for some time. In fact, we could live there if we wanted to. But the hard reality, especially for our sworn personnel, is that we can die there as well.

Aside from the fact that each of us should take delight in a job well done, it is the right thing to do. Doing everything with excellence makes us complete and allows us to work and live with a confidence and assurance that surpasses our colleagues. It allows us to stand above the rest. Whether it is with promotion in mind, or just living right, living a life free of shortcuts assures the professionalism and excellence that our department (and more importantly, our family) expects. We lead by example and doing things right establishes our leadership.

The scriptures admonish us to do everything with excellence. God himself realizes that a life of excellence makes us complete. I also believe it keeps us from danger. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians he writes:

And whatever you do, do it with excellence, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.

Remember to wear your badge with the pride of a job well done. Whether it be the badge titled Mom, Dad, Husband, Wife, Friend, Partner, Deputy or simply the badge title Human Being, do not let that badge become tarnished with a life filled with shortcuts.