“Focus On Your Excellence”-Someone Wise

For the past few weeks, I’ve not been in a great mental place. Life has felt overwhelming, and I’ve struggled to keep my balance. A few days ago, someone shared these words with me: focus on your excellence. At first, I nodded along, but it didn’t really sink in.

As I sit here waiting for Ike to finish his Taekwondo session, reflecting on Craig, whose 5th death anniversary is next week, it finally clicked. I thought about who he was before he passed, how he faced life with such resilience. What does focusing on your excellence really mean?

I used to think excellence was something distant, reserved for people who had it all figured out. The truth is, it lives in each of us, waiting to be tapped into. It’s not about being the smartest, the fastest, or having it all together; it’s about showing up, pushing through self-doubt, and giving your best, even when the world feels too heavy.

Craig embodied this. He never gave up. Even in his hardest moments, he kept fighting with everything he had. He wasn’t striving for perfection; he was focused on being the best version of himself, regardless of how difficult life became. He was the perfect example of excellence, not because he never struggled, but because he never stopped showing up. That spirit has stayed with me ever since.

Some days, I question if I’m doing enough. Am I living up to what Craig would have wanted? Am I giving my all? But what I’ve come to understand through Craig’s example and my own reflections, is that excellence isn’t about perfection. It’s growth. It’s resilience. It’s being willing to fail, pick yourself back up, and try again, because the realmeasure of success is how we rise after we fall.

Craig fell many times, but he always rose again. His strength was quiet but powerful. He showed me that focusing on your excellence means being present, doing your best, and trusting that even on the hardest days, your best is enough.

Wherever you are on your journey, remember to focus on your excellence. Not as a far-off goal, but as a way of being. It’s about rising after you fall, giving yourself grace, and staying true to who you are, even when life feels overwhelming.

So today, I’m choosing to focus on my excellence not because I need to be perfect, but because I owe it to myself, toCraig’s memory, and to those I love. We’re stronger than we think. And that strength? That’s where our excellence lies. Keep going, you’ve got this.