Why you have to give your best

In western society, we are blessed with so many resources, opportunities, and (for the most part) a great deal of time.

The approach often taken by the masses is therefore to try and many things as possible and enjoy all there is to offer. With this, we are not ging our actions justice by spreading ourselves too thin, and consequently, we never get to experience progress.

Indulgence in great quantity is a very short-sighted mindset. It’s also very safe and risk-averse.

To make a real difference in something you have to give your best. You have to decide to do something rather than another. You have to work on it consistently.

There’s no hack and it’s not pretty but it works.

You put your flag on the ground and say to the world what your aim is.

This could be with a degree, career, or even partner choice.

The thing is commitment is scary but it provides so many benefits. It allows you to become your best version. A focus inaccessible without commitment. The result is that of giving your best the rest of life actually becomes simpler.

You are so focused on your mission that the rest of the stuff meld themselves around your focus.

Say your focus is to write a book. All you have to write every day until it is done. That is your best. That is an alignment of routine with where you want to go. You don’t have a worry about your schedule because the main focus is sorted.

Similarly, when you know you are giving 100% you don’t beat yourself up because you couldn’t have given it any more.

Resistance to this comes in the form of comparison, trying to be people we are not, and ultimately not committing to the task at hand.

I personally find myself annoyed most when I know I could’ve worked harder in a day. I’ve left stuff in the tank. I’ve not performed as well as I could. I’ve not made myself or others proud.

This could be seen as a toxic and unhealthy view of going about things, (and maybe it is) however, to achieve different results you need to approach things differently- meaning going above and beyond.

All of this isn’t in direct correlation with work it could be your passions, sports, or relationships…

And the best indicator to you giving your best is your time. Quality time, undivided from focus.

The sitting on the fence, half-hearted approach exposes your fear of commitment. You don’t believe in yourself, the task or simply don’t care enough.

To fully live out and be your best you have to be undivided in your continual learning of yourself. You decide your focus, your mission, your distractions, your tendencies, your values, your why.

From here you can be grateful and use all the gifts given to you to your best disposal as you are not meandering about the place.

People may push back and say, this is a very self-centred approach. And maybe it is- yet, I believe it is out of a security in ourselves and a knowledge of where we are going then enables us to fully serve others.

Think of the most helpful mentors or people in your life, they probably weren’t people unsure of themselves or not trying their best.

We can shift our perspective when we have this strong core. Gratitude, empathy, and doing things justice. For me, that means wanting to work the hardest and even obsess over the things I think are helpful to the world and the people in it.

I want to make the gift of this life count, how about you?