8 Attitudes of Intentionally Excellent People

Excellence, whether at personal or corporate level, comes in many ways and forms but what has remained constant is that most intentionally excellent people or organisations have very similar habits.

Intentionally excellent people are actually not super-humans. They do not possess any special skill or talent, different from the ordinary people around them. A few things they do overtime, that become their perpetual lifestyle or habits is their secret. People who are purposeful about pursuing and becoming excellent act in ways that make them outstanding in their chosen field or niche.

This kind of lifestyle is summarised by this true and very challenging statement:

“Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.” — Tryon Edwards

If you want to achieve your life’s dream of achieving excellence in your personal or corporate life tasks, you need to model yourself after people who are living that same dream. The more qualities you have in common, the higher your chances for actualizing the dream.

When I read list such as this one, I want to see how I fit into it. And it feels good when I recognize habits that I have mastered. In the other hand, I also look for those that I need to imbibe as well.

We all start out in life as being quite ordinary and many remain that way. The few who have gone on to stand out excellently have these qualities:

1. They start with why — Intentionally excellent people know the reason behind their decisions and actions. They know why they are into any business, relationship, job or career. They understand that for any journey to be successful, the journey must start with a definition on the end at its inception. As a result they are never lost on a journey.
2. They are always focused — Intentionally excellent people know how to concentrate on any set goal. They have this understanding that they cannot do everything and have learned to focus on activities that gives them the greatest satisfaction that they seek.
3. They love to learn — The intentionally excellent person understands the power of learning. Such a person knows that what makes the difference between two people is the information one has and constantly acts on that the other person does not have. So, he submits himself to intentional and purposeful learning.
4. They value time — Intentionally excellent people know the worth of every second and make each count. They do not have time to spend on frivolities. They understand that your daily results are a factor of how you utilize your time. They have mastered the art of scheduling activities and have disciplined themselves to follow each day’s plan strictly. If they ever has a spare time, they use it wisely.
5. They are self-reliant — Intentionally excellent people do not wait for or need any body’s permission to succeed, neither do they give others permission to stop them. They believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their dreams whether anyone helps them or not. What’s interesting is that it is exactly this type of attitude that attracts others to want to help you.
6. They possess a mindset of possibility — While so many people would see impossibility at every turn, the intentionally excellent person sees every mountain as surmountable. They have built resilience against obstacles and oppositions. They never give up. They rather keep trying until it works. To them, the word ‘impossible’ does not exist.
7. They create a structured life plan — Intentionally excellent people do not leave their life to chances or happenstance. They know that whatever you want in life must be planned for and worked toward. They understand that there’s power in planning that spurs a life planner into actions. By writing it down and committing to it, they take concrete step towards living a more intentional life. Planning helps the intentionally excellent person focus on the most important things and ignore the rest.
8. They are action-oriented — Intentionally excellent people do not just talk the talk like many people do. Those who spend all their time thinking and talking about doing something will never succeed. They not just plan, they implement their plans.

Now, I hand over to you. What attitudes have you observed in other intentionally excellent people you know or event the ones you’ve developed? Share in the comment box.

If you want to receive articles like this in your email, feel free to subscribe below.