We have been talking about the rules to live life by.  These rules are to help govern the quality and effectiveness of the life we live.  When you break the rules there are always consequences.  So these life rules to write our story of life by are powerful.  Today’s rule is…

Rule #4 – Always make your PERFORMANCE greater than your APPLAUSE

Always improve your performance in life even if no one is looking.  Don’t wait to see if others are watching in order to act on what is right.  Too many times we are so caught up in what others think that we allow them to determine what we do and when we do it.  If we only perform in life when someone is watching we will never become all that we have the potential to be.  Performance is about using our gifts and talents to make a difference.  It is about having integrity.  Integrity is about performing even when we may not get the credit for it.  If we only perform when we get credit for it, we will always put a lid on our effectiveness.

When our performance is greater than our applause we do our BEST at ALL times.  We give 100% to everything we do.  That means that even when the task is small we make it big.  If you want to know a true leader see what they do when you give them a task to accomplish.  Leaders will take a small task and make it bigger, non-leaders will take a big task and make it small.  Non-leaders cut corners and will not take the time to make it bigger.  At best they will do what is asked of them, nothing more.  Most of the time they make excuses as to why it shouldn’t be done or how they can do less with it.  To put it honestly, they are lazy.  Leaders, however, will go above and beyond, thinking of ways to make the task more than it started out to be.  They are always thinking about out-performing the original idea, even if it is their own idea.  It is not about the applause, it is about doing the best that can be done.

When we live our life by doing our very best, we are reaching our potential.  Excellence is not being the best, it is about doing the best with what we have.  To live an excellent life always strive to do your best, even if no one gives you credit for it.  Opportunities always come to those who perform at their best.  No one has ever genuinely said, “I wish I didn’t perform so well.” The “applause” in life will come when we are faithful to do our best.  If we wait for the applause before we perform we will always be waiting in life, never truly living.

What can you do today to perform? What can you do today that will go above and beyond your “job description”? DO IT!!!