Song: “Something Big” by Delana Hope

Good morning, and welcome to Starting Our Day Together—just a few minutes for us to get our day started in the right direction.

Today, I want to put a thought in your mind before you get too far into your day: Decide to be amazing. Leave mediocrity to someone else.

Now, when I say “be amazing,” I’m not talking about being famous.

I’m not talking about being better than everybody else.

And I’m certainly not talking about walking around thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.

I’m talking about making a decision that, whatever God has given you to do today, you are going to do it with excellence.

You are going to bring your best.

You are going to be present.

You are going to be intentional.

You are not going to sleepwalk through another day of your life.

Because here’s something I’ve learned: mediocrity rarely announces itself.

Most of the time, mediocrity doesn’t walk through the door and say, “Today, I’m going to settle for less.”

No.

It sounds much more reasonable than that.

It says, “That’s good enough.”

It says, “I’ll get to it later.”

It says, “Nobody will notice.”

It says, “Why should I work that hard when everybody else is doing the minimum?”

And little by little, “good enough” can become a way of life.

But not today.

Today, you can make a different decision.

Excellence Is a Decision

There are a lot of things you cannot control today.

You cannot control what somebody else says.

You cannot control somebody else’s attitude.

You cannot control whether traffic cooperates.

You cannot control whether everything goes according to your plans.

You cannot control every problem that may show up before lunchtime.

But you can decide how you are going to show up.

You can decide: I’m going to bring excellence to this day.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Think about that.

Whatever you do.

Not just the big things.

Not just the things people applaud.

Not just the things somebody is watching.

Whatever you do.

That means excellence is not primarily about impressing people.

For the believer, excellence is an act of stewardship.

It’s recognizing that God has entrusted me with this day, these abilities, these responsibilities, these relationships, and these opportunities.

So I’m going to handle them well.

Amazing Doesn’t Have to Mean Spectacular

Sometimes we hear the word “amazing,” and we immediately think about doing something spectacular.

But some of the most amazing things you can do today may look very ordinary.

Show up when you said you would.

Keep your word.

Finish what you started.

Listen when somebody is talking to you.

Encourage somebody who needs it.

Do the job correctly when cutting corners would be easier.

Apologize when you’re wrong.

Be patient when you’re irritated.

Give somebody your full attention.

Pray before you react.

Maybe being amazing today means making the phone call you’ve been putting off.

Maybe it means taking the first step toward something you’ve been afraid to begin.

Maybe it means simply refusing to quit.

Don’t confuse excellence with extravagance.

Excellence often happens in small moments when nobody is applauding.

Stop Competing With Everybody Else

And here’s another thing.

Being amazing does not require you to compete with everybody around you.

Your assignment today is not to be better than somebody else.

Your assignment is to be faithful with what God has placed in your hands.

Somebody else may have more resources.

Somebody else may have more education.

Somebody else may have more connections.

Somebody else may be younger than you.

Somebody else may have started before you.

And That’s all right.

Run your race.

You don’t have to live somebody else’s life.

You don’t have to fulfill somebody else’s calling.

You don’t have to carry somebody else’s assignment.

But you do have a responsibility to do something meaningful with what God has given you.

And sometimes the greatest enemy of that isn’t failure.

It’s mediocrity.

It’s becoming comfortable doing less than you know you’re capable of doing.

Don’t Wait Until You Feel Like It

Now, here’s where this becomes practical.

You may not feel amazing this morning.

You may have gotten up tired.

You may have something weighing heavily on your mind.

You may be dealing with disappointment.

You may have a long list of things waiting for you today.

That’s exactly why I’m using the word decide.

I didn’t say, “Feel amazing.”

I said: Decide to be amazing.

Feelings change.

Motivation comes and goes.

Some mornings you’re going to jump out of bed ready to take on the world.

Other mornings you’re going to negotiate with the alarm clock.

But purpose cannot depend entirely upon feelings.

Sometimes you’ve got to tell yourself: “I may not feel like giving my best today, but I’m going to give my best anyway.”

“I may not feel confident, but I’m going to take the step.”

“I may not feel prepared for everything that’s coming, but I’m going to trust God and move forward.”

That’s maturity.

Raise Your Personal Standard

So here’s my challenge for you this morning: Raise your personal standard.

Not because you’re trying to prove something to anybody.

Not because you’re trying to impress people.

But because your life matters.

Your time matters.

Your gifts matter.

Your influence matters.

And this day matters.

Don’t give today’s opportunities yesterday’s leftover effort.

Don’t keep lowering the standard because lowering it is easier.

And don’t measure your effort by the minimum somebody else is willing to accept.

There is something powerful about becoming the kind of person who says:

“If my name is attached to it, I’m going to do it well.”

“If I give you my word, I’m going to do my best to keep it.”

“If God gives me an opportunity, I’m going to respect it.”

“If I fall short, I’m going to learn from it, get back up, and try again.”

That’s excellence.

One Question Before We Go

So before we get into everything waiting for us today, I want you to ask yourself one question: What would it look like for me to be amazing today?

Not next year.

Not someday.

Today.

Maybe it’s giving your best at work.

Maybe it’s being fully present with your family.

Maybe it’s finally starting something you’ve been talking about starting.

Maybe it’s showing kindness to someone who cannot do anything for you in return.

Maybe it’s spending some time with God before the noise of the day takes over.

Maybe it’s simply handling the next thing in front of you with excellence.

Whatever it is, decide now.

Don’t wait for the day to decide what kind of person you’re going to be.

You decide.

Let’s Take This With Us

As we get ready to go our separate ways this morning, remember this:

You don’t need a perfect day to have a meaningful day.

You don’t need everybody’s cooperation to walk in excellence.

You don’t need applause to do something well.

And you don’t have to be extraordinary at everything.

Just be faithful with what’s in front of you.

Bring your best attitude.

Bring your best effort.

Bring your integrity.

Bring your faith.

Bring your kindness.

Bring your discipline.

Bring the person God created you to be.

And when that little voice whispers, “That’s good enough”… ask yourself: Is it really?

Because you’ve only been given one today.

So don’t waste it being a lesser version of yourself simply because mediocrity is convenient.

Decide to be amazing.

And leave mediocrity to someone else.

May God give you wisdom for your decisions, strength for your challenges, grace for the people you encounter, and the courage to give your best to whatever He puts in front of you today.

Now go make this day count. And I’ll meet you right back here next time, as we start our day together.