Doing better and doing your best are more than casual preferences; they are widely shared and deeply valued cultural beliefs about what individuals should want to do.
The goal of “doing your best” is often experienced as a sense of obligation. People feel a sense of personal responsibility to do their best. People feel that if they do not try to do their best, they would be letting themselves down and not living up to an important obligation they have to themselves.
For example, if you try to win a race, you know at the start that you may not win, since there may be runners faster than you in the race. However, by trying your hardest and doing your best, you will know that you have lived up to your own sense of obligation to yourself, and you can take pride in your efforts, even if you did not win the race. You at least met your self-obligation of trying to do your best, which is one of the most basic values that underlies achievement and success.
Getting Personal
When in your life have you tried your hardest to do your best? What motivated you to try to do your best? Were you satisfied with the results? Why or why not?
Under what circumstances do you tend not to try your best. How common are those circumstances in your life?
“I sometimes fell short of being the best, but I never fell short of giving it my best.” (William McRaven, retired Navy four-star admiral and author)
“I have no regrets because I know I did my best – all I could do.” (Midori Ito, former figure skater champion)
“Doing Your Best” vs. “Being the Best”
**** Top of post image (Do Your Best) by David Burke, from Dreamstime.com
