There's this catchphrase I love to say and hear: You are the best. It is simple yet is packed with gratitude and acknowledgement that someone has done something good/right. It's even part of one of my favorite movie lines from Nacho Libre. I can hear Jack Black saying it now. [You are] the best!
What does it mean to be the best? Some would say you are better at something than everyone else. Some might answer how it means you stand out from the rest for an accomplishment or for an act of service or support, but it's just for the moment and can be a shared thing. Another valid definition of being the best is considering your impact on others. Every person has the chance to be the best in this case. For instance, how can every father or mother be the best? If we look at the first definition, it is impossible, and some serious amounts of mugs and t-shirts need to be revoked before the next Father's Day and Mother's Day. But we aren't taking away any gifts today.
Being the best parent is something every parent hopes is true. We want so much to do the best we can, to be our best self, to be the best parent for our children, to be someone who makes a positive impact on the souls we brought into this crazy, beautiful world. But how does one qualify to be deemed the best? There is no handbook to study from even though there are tests on this every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. While solving the problems of the universe with my friend, Melissa, she brought up something that got me thinking about this quest to be the best. She pointed out how our best effort, consistently done, is what makes all the difference.
Is our best effort even good all the time? No. Sometimes, our best is actually pretty poor. We are clueless and make a mess of our children as we scurry around attempting to set things right again. The key to finding the sweet spot of being the best is keeping on with the good work. Learn from failures, recognize when a failure opened up important discussions, and do better. Doing better than before can mean you are doing your best, making you your personal best—again.
This brain teaser of sorts is really just a recognition of our faults and successes as a process of becoming, becoming our best self and making a difference to the best of our ability.
What does it mean to be the best? Some would say you are better at something than everyone else. Some might answer how it means you stand out from the rest for an accomplishment or for an act of service or support, but it's just for the moment and can be a shared thing. Another valid definition of being the best is considering your impact on others. Every person has the chance to be the best in this case. For instance, how can every father or mother be the best? If we look at the first definition, it is impossible, and some serious amounts of mugs and t-shirts need to be revoked before the next Father's Day and Mother's Day. But we aren't taking away any gifts today.
Being the best parent is something every parent hopes is true. We want so much to do the best we can, to be our best self, to be the best parent for our children, to be someone who makes a positive impact on the souls we brought into this crazy, beautiful world. But how does one qualify to be deemed the best? There is no handbook to study from even though there are tests on this every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. While solving the problems of the universe with my friend, Melissa, she brought up something that got me thinking about this quest to be the best. She pointed out how our best effort, consistently done, is what makes all the difference.
Is our best effort even good all the time? No. Sometimes, our best is actually pretty poor. We are clueless and make a mess of our children as we scurry around attempting to set things right again. The key to finding the sweet spot of being the best is keeping on with the good work. Learn from failures, recognize when a failure opened up important discussions, and do better. Doing better than before can mean you are doing your best, making you your personal best—again.
This brain teaser of sorts is really just a recognition of our faults and successes as a process of becoming, becoming our best self and making a difference to the best of our ability.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us your thoughts...