Colleen Souza

A number of years ago, I was asked to speak to a group of teens at a camp retreat. I had complete freedom to choose any topic I believed would contribute to their future success. I chose the theme “Excellence Versus Mediocrity.” At the time, my firstborn son, Tim, was just a tiny little boy, and my daughters had not yet arrived. As a young mother, I felt a growing responsibility to model a life rooted in purpose and excellence—not perfection, but intentional living.

During that season of my life, I also began to realize that while I had been deeply loved as a child, I had not been fully prepared for adulthood. I wasn’t raised with the idea that my life or actions needed purpose, direction, or a plan. As a result, I often drifted. I was busy but mediocre—lacking the tools to elevate myself or move forward with intention. It wasn’t until college, under the influence of professors, mentors, and books, that I discovered life held far more possibility. I simply had to reach out and take hold of it—not only for my sake, but for my children.

One of the easiest traps in life is the trap of busy-ness. We tell ourselves we’re headed somewhere meaningful because “Look at all that I’m doing!” But movement is not the same as achievement. We can be constantly in motion yet go nowhere. At the end of the day, the real questions are: What have we accomplished? How have we improved our lives or the lives of those we love?

Two simple examples illustrate the point. We wouldn’t leave Los Angeles and just start heading east hoping to magically arrive in St. Louis. At minimum, we’d plug the destination into a GPS, fill the tank, pack a bag, set aside some money, and identify stopping points. Intentionality makes the journey possible.

Or consider a far more familiar scenario: grocery shopping after a long workday. I often head home knowing the refrigerator is empty and realizing I didn’t plan ahead. I have no list, no reusable bags, and no one at home checking what we’re missing. I walk through the store relying on memory, and inevitably forget essentials while buying duplicates of what I already have—pickles, peanut butter, the usual suspects. It’s a perfect example of being tired, in motion, and yet unprepared. A hamster in its wheel.

This is what many of us do every day—we move through the hours, days, months, even years without clarity about where we’re headed. Excellence requires intentionality. Mediocrity requires nothing at all.

From that camp retreat onward, I changed my thinking. I began weighing my decisions through the lens of purposeful behavior—recognizing what was merely routine and what could move me toward opportunity. Over time, I learned that people who live with intention share certain habits and mindsets:

Live in the Now

We are all guilty of being so lost in thought that we miss the world unfolding around us. I’ve arrived at destinations with no memory of the drive because my mind was somewhere else entirely. We cannot change the past, and we cannot control the future. Purposeful people stay awake to the present moment—they listen, observe, and engage. They don’t miss meaningful words, opportunities, or moments because their attention is scattered.

Multitasking is one of the greatest enemies of presence. With constant notifications, endless demands, and the pressure to be everywhere at once, our focus becomes fractured. We all know texting and driving is dangerous, but so is texting while trying to have a heartfelt conversation or watching TV while cooking—only to discover something has burned. When we spread ourselves too thin, we end up doing everything marginally and nothing well.

A simple tool to stay grounded is to give your mind a place to “set down” intrusive thoughts. I write a to-do list each night so I can revisit it in the morning over coffee. With today’s technology, there are countless ways to organize our tasks and mental clutter. Clearing the mind helps us stay present and perform with excellence.

Just Do It

A purposeful person does not let doubt stop progress. To move toward a life of excellence, we must act. We delay our growth when we delay our participation. We say we’ll begin the workout routine after vacation or start saving next month—but these delays postpone transformation.

Progress requires forward motion. As the old proverbs remind us: “Perfection is the enemy of progress,” and “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” When we obsess over the end product, we rob ourselves of the learning and growth found in the process. Every thriving business, invention, or masterpiece was born from trial, error, courage, and persistence. Moving forward—however imperfectly—is what makes dreams real.

Living a life of excellence means waking up each day knowing we have one shot at it. That shot deserves intention. It deserves focus. It deserves our best effort—not flawless effort, but meaningful effort.

Walk this life with purpose. Stay awake to your moments. Set goals. Take action. Step out of the hamster wheel and into the life you were meant to live—one defined by excellence, not mediocrity.