I was watching a short video the other day which I thought was exceptional. It featured a trainer giving a pep talk to some school kids. Rather than asking them to be The best at anything, he suggested instead they be Their best. The change was small but the distinction huge.
When we try to be The best at anything we open ourselves up to comparisons with others. We are pitting our aims against the rest of the world, so will always be fighting to prove something. Also, if we aim to be the best in any arena, it also means others have to lose.
However, when we just try to be our best, the aim is purely internal. We have only one person to beat and that’s ourselves. The rest of the world doesn’t matter. Not only that, no one else has to lose. We don’t have to lord it over another with our successes.
So few people give their best at anything, but those that do truly stand out. I once met a woman who was working in a truck-stop toilet in Germany as a cleaner. Her loos were without doubt the cleanest I’d ever been in. Not only that, she was the most cheerful person to boot. So much so, I am remembering her now over 40 years on.
Whatever you choose to do in life, I wish you the strength to be your best at it. I wish you the power each day to better your achievements to date and to enjoy the journey of your own gratification in doing just that. You are the people who make life shine for us all. So, thank you.