Men. Intelligent.™

 

Challenge #20

Don’t start before completing Challenge #19.
If you want to join the IntelliMen Project, start from Challenge #1.

 

Challenge: Identify an area of excellence and develop it.

Explanation: King Solomon said: Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. ¹ What does this mean? Basically, the man who is good at what he does will be in demand, he will always be on top, he will gain recognition and lots of money. Doesn’t this sound like an IntelliMan?

Alright, perhaps it’s not money and recognition you’re after. In truth, those who excel at their work do so because they love what they do. They love developing their talents. They know their work is valuable. They see themselves as problem solvers, as people who make the world a better place through their work. That’s why they are recognized and well paid – not because they seek money or recognition.

This was Daniel’s attitude. He stood out in a group of the 120 best men in the country because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.² Joseph had the same attitude.³ Even as a slave of bad masters, he did his best and stood out among men, even free men. And he was placed in a position over them all.

Anyone can be excellent, even if it is only at one thing. Messi is excellent at soccer, Steven Spielberg at films, Jonathan Ive (guy who designs Apple products) at innovation. Bishop Macedo excels at courageous, intelligence faith. Obviously these men were not born this way. They discovered their talents and calling, believed in themselves, and put all their strength into developing it. That is why they are who they are today, and why they are where they are. Your challenge this week is to identify your area of excellence and begin to do more to develop it. You may already know what it is, and only need to think of ways to develop it. So, spend time thinking about what you need to do to excel in that area — to become an expert, the best.

If you are not sure about your area of excellence, first identify it. An area of excellence is normally something that (1) you have a natural inclination for, something you love; (2) you get compliments and results with; (3) is sufficiently valued by a number of people that would be happy to pay you for your work (so playing video games does not qualify… unless it’s your job).

Notebook: While meditating on this challenge, write down one or more areas of excellence that you have, and what you plan to do to develop one of them. Do at least one thing this week to develop it.

Official Partner: Speak to your Partner about your areas of excellence. Exchange ideas and feedback.

Deadline: You may begin this task immediate and complete it within a week. Then go on to Challenge #19.

Post: After – and only after – you have completed the challenge, post your comments – on the IntelliMenWorld Facebook or Twitter page, (not on your own page) and write the following:

IntelliMen Challenge #20 done: I identified my area of excellence and what I will do to develop it. (Add more comments if you wish.)

 Links:
www.facebook.com/IntelliMenWorld
www.twitter.com/intellimenworld (when tweeting, use @intelliMenworld)

 

Verification Checklist

☐ I identified my area of excellence
☐ I did something to develop it this week
☐ I spoke to my partner about the challenge
☐ I posted my comments on Facebook/Twitter

 

 

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[1] Proverbs 22.29
[2] Daniel 6.3
[3] Genesis 41.38-41