Excellence is the last of the three elements you need to be in the state of light. It is the highest aspect, the most valuable of the three. In Arabic, excellence is El Ihsan.

Adnan, my teacher, said, “Whatever you do, do it with excellence.” When you do everything with excellence, peace, and faith (in life or yourself) you become the complete or perfect human – El ihsan el kamel. 

In striving for excellence, he explains, you combine spirit with your action. 

Excellence could start as simply as sweeping the floor, and it goes as high as knowing God. All the work that is done, whether sweeping, washing dishes, washing clothes, fixing sidewalks, working with flowers, taking care of a garden, painting a wall, cleaning a kitchen, or any other kind of work -- when it is done with excellence, it becomes an allegory for a deeper meaning in the spirit.

– Adnan Sarhan

Excellence is not about trying to be perfect, which often means seeking the best way to please someone else, e.g. teacher, parent, or boss.

Excellence is including spirit in your pursuit of doing your best.

When you connect with your spirit, you cease worrying about what others are doing or saying. You stop comparing and complaining -- because when you do something with spirit, there’s no competition. There is no: How am I doing? or How are you doing? or Not doing? The only yardstick is yourself. Are you achieving excellence for you?

Are you doing your best or simply trying to get by?

If the quality of what you are doing is determined by trying to please, to prove, or to rebel, you give away your power. This is not excellence even if you accomplish great things.

When you strive for excellence, it only depends on you and what is excellent for you. Whatever you are doing, ask yourself, are you striving for excellence? Notice at what point your efforts become lazy, slapdash, or effortful. This is your indication to stop instead of pushing forward to finish. 

How often do we keep on doing something, when we want to stop? Let excellence be your guide instead of some internalized obsession to "get something done."

When others have authority over you with their expectations, demands, and impatience, then you strive for excellence "under the circumstances" -- giving your best with the tools and time you have available. You may discover that when you are aware and focused, rather than rushed and harried, time slows down and expands to meet your needs. 

The best indicator of excellence is love. Do what you do with all of your heart. Be mindfully aware of what you are creating. Find joy in your effort and pleasure in your pursuit. For example, in doing the slow movement in a Sufi meditation class, observe your breath and the movement. Feel the movement of your muscles and the sensation of compressing molecules as your arms arc through space. This is excellence -- awareness and focus with delight. 

Turning everything you do into a prayer. If you are frustrated or tired in your task, stop and breathe. Return to peace and faith in yourself. Reclaim your excellence. This is being in the light. 

We all struggle and play tug-of-war with the monkey mind. It is always waiting for a chance to run away with the ball – your thoughts. No need for judgment, disappointment, or frustration. Simply stop the monkey with your attention and resume your course of action. Struggling only makes things worse. Breathe and resume. In time, the monkey-mind time will shrink and excellence will expand. Eventually, the monkey-mind interludes will just be another part of the cycle of your breath. Exhale the monkey, inhale awareness, excellence, and light. 

Peace, faith, and excellence bring you to the light and fill you’re being with love and wisdom. Practice every day and this will become your habit.

I am teaching the Sufi moving meditation class tomorrow and Sunday. 

If you would like to practice excellence, please join us tomorrow for movement, breath, and meditation, December 29th at 9 am PST. Try it and see what happens.

And/or join me on Sunday, December 31th at 8 am PST for another Sufi meditation class. 

The Zoom link is the same for both.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89999494833?pwd=V2pOS28yYUdXM3hkaW1rVWIvSjBUdz09

Meeting ID: 899 9949 4833

Passcode: SUFI

Here's a time converter link to check the time in your location.

Be peaceful.

Michelle

Dr. Michelle Peticolas

Life Transformation Coach

Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss

Secrets of Life and Death

https://www.facebook.com/secretsoflifeanddeath.com