Only You Know the Extent of Your Best
That’s because you’re the only one in your head, heart, and soul.
Lots of people half-ass things. I’ve done it on more than one occasion myself. Sometimes this is because the thing being done doesn’t truly need your full ass (or energy, attention, focus, etc.) Other times, you make a conscious choice to give that thing only as much as you feel like due to personal, impersonal, life, world, or other random circumstances.
However, more often than not, you probably give your best. You put in all the time, energy, attention, focus, determination, and whatever else is necessary to make/do the thing as best you can. Save certain specific times/places/situations, the effort of half-assing something might be more than the effort of giving/doing/being your best.
You know how little or how much effort you give to anything in your life. And yet, sometimes, even when you give your best, you find others judge what you do as less than your best. Other people look at what you have done/are doing, and judge that you are not, in fact, giving it your all, doing your best. No, to their mind, you are not doing enough.
The truth, of course, is that they can’t and don’t know that. Why? Because they are not you. Just as you are not them, they aren’t you. Which means they have no idea what’s going on in your head, heart, or soul.
Yet having someone tell you they believe you aren’t doing your best can be horribly negative, disempowering, and bad for your self-esteem, self-worth, and such.
How do you know what I’m capable of?
Lots of people can see “potential” in others. I’ve been teaching fencing to people of every body shape, size, and athletic ability you can imagine for more than 30 years. In that time, I’ve worked with people who had a ton of potential to take the game far, make the most of it, and really be pretty amazing combatants.
However, while I can see potential, I can only gauge “your best” from an outsider’s perspective. If I teach you a drill and you decide not to do it, I can probably surmise that you’re not doing your best because you’re not doing it. However, your best might be limited by fatigue, mental state, overall body mechanics, and all sorts of other factors I can’t know. That’s because I’m not in your head, heart, or soul. Your mind, body, and spirit are known by you, and only you.
When it comes to giving your best, you alone know what that looks like. I can see potential. I can work with you to help you find your limits and maybe, if you desire, to pass them. But when all is said and done, I don’t truly know what you’re capable of. That’s on you, and only you.
Likewise, nobody knows my full abilities. Hence, my best is known only to me. However, that doesn’t mean support, cheerleading, and encouragement aren’t appreciated.
Your best is limited by your beliefs, values, and so on
I’m a firm believer in the power of the mind to overcome lots of obstacles. The physical can be shifted and changed by the mental, emotional, and spiritual. I know firsthand how powerful the mind and belief can be when it comes to healing.
When I was recovering from injuries after getting hit by a car crossing a street 26 years ago, I gave my best to everything that went into healing. I pushed to and past my limits during physical therapy and occupational therapy. I gave my best in everything I did to heal as quickly and completely as possible. It worked, too.
Your best is not necessarily limited by some cap or ceiling. It’s possible to push past a lot of limitations. However, only you are capable of knowing, experiencing, and judging your best versus less-than-your-best. Nobody else can tell you that you are putting in less (unless you are very obviously using no effort, half-assing something, or otherwise dragging your feet).
People are people. So, unbidden, people will tell you when they think you aren’t giving your best, that you can do more, and will be pushy and judgy even if you tell them to back off. Even though they can be well-meaning, that doesn’t mean they aren’t infuriating. This is especially true when they try to convince you that they “know better” than you do.
Experience is great, but I’m not in your head, heart, or soul. I can and will encourage you to change your beliefs and values, to find a higher-energy, more positive best. I, however, can’t, don’t, and won’t know where you’re genuinely giving your best.
Why does this matter?
Too many people are told they aren’t doing enough. Even when they are doing their best, they’re constantly bombarded by the thoughts and feelings of others. Endless “you can do better” messages, some well-meaning, some callous, some heedless.
This is why one of my affirmations is,
I give my best. I do my best. The thoughts and feelings of others are outside of my control.
I’m not in your head; you’re not in mine. Hence, you can tell me that you don’t feel I’m giving my best, but do you truly know? You don’t know what kind of day I’m having, struggles I’m enduring, things on my plate, or whatever.
This is important to acknowledge. That’s because, once you do, you can work for yourself better. Instead of trying to work with/live up to the expectations of others, you can make conscious, mindful choices and decisions to give your genuine best.
You alone know what you’re thinking, what and how you’re feeling, your intentions, the positivity or negativity of your approach, and your actions. Ergo, you alone know what your best is. But more than that, you alone know what your best can be.
I started blogging weekly at the beginning of 2012 because I knew I could write more, more consistently. That led me to other steps, which brought me to now. I write full-time, produce 3 blogs a week, and 1500 words of fiction or more every weekday.
I’m at my best most of the time. But that doesn’t mean I can’t make it better. That, however, is not something anyone but me can determine. My best today might be less than my best tomorrow. But I alone know that. This is true for you, too.
You alone can choose what your best can be.
Learning and acknowledging the genuine extent of your best isn’t hard
It’s all about practicing active conscious awareness (mindfulness) of your thoughts, feelings, intentions, and the positivity or negativity of your approach to direct your actions.
Recognizing and acknowledging that you alone know when you are giving your best, you can choose to do more/learn more/get better, or keep doing what you’re doing because it’s your best. Knowing you alone are in your head, heart, and soul, you can recognize and acknowledge that if you aren’t giving/doing/being your best, you can alter and change that to be your most authentic self.
This empowers you. When you’re empowered, that can, in turn, empower others around you. That’s why I share these weekly posts with you.
Consciously choosing your approach to life towards positivity or negativity — from the vast cylinder that exists between them — shifts life in ways that open you to more potential, possibility, and the like. From there, you can recognize, explore, and share where you are between the extremes and how that impacts you in the here and now.
The more aware you are of yourself in the present, the better you can choose and decide what, how, and why your life experiences will be. When you empower yourself, it can spread to those around you and empower them, too. That is an amazing conduit to help reason overcome fear in the collective consciousness.
Thank you for coming along on this journey.
This is the six-hundred-forty-ninth (649) entry of my Positivity series. I hope that these weekly messages might help spread positive energy for everyone. Feel free to share, reblog, and spread the positivity.
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