it’s about giving your best.
it’s not always about doing the best you could do, or having the best outcome, or the best performance, or the best ANYTHING. it’s really about giving your best and working hard, in the context of everything else you have going on, with whatever resources you have :) and then using your results as feedback to guide your changes.
we are always so hard on ourselves. it creeps up in so many different, subtle, and sneaky ways. we don’t workout as often as we want to – we get down on ourselves. we don’t PR on a workout or a lift, we get down on ourselves. we don’t get the grade we knew we could have, with some more preparation, we get down on ourselves. we don’t make the perfect choices when it comes to food – we get down on ourselves. we have every intention of sitting and meditating each morning, but we don’t – we get down on ourselves. we don’t do the best we think we can do with a presentation (me), or class – we get down on ourselves. the list is endless, and these moments of getting down on ourselves happens several times throughout the day.
take a step back, look at the big picture, and look at the context.
yes, in the perfect situation, we’d have more than enough time to prep for everything we feel is important to us. we’d walk into our talk, our presentation, our workout, our meditation, our day, completely prepped and ready to go. we’d perform to our highest potential, and we’d celebrate in this tremendous outcome, each and every moment of each and every day.
maybe we should be more focused on the work we put into it, and giving our best, than getting down about what the actual outcome was?
- if you finish a workout, and don’t get a Personal Record, or don’t hit a weight you wanted to, or a time you wanted. . . did you bust your ass and do the best you could possibly do? that’s what counts.
- if you plan on working out 5 days this week, but only made it 3 because of the kids, or an unexpected work situation, or a house emergency, or you were just too tired. . . did you try really hard to make it happen? that’s what counts. be easy on yourself.
- if you’re planning your meals, and 4 out of 5 days you do really well, but one day you give into a craving that has a deep, dark emotional history with you. . . did you try your best not to give in? that’s what counts.
- if you have a test you didn’t score as well as you feel like you could have. . . did you study really hard for it, as best you could, understanding what you felt like you should have? that’s what counts.
- if you have a presentation, or a talk, or a class, that didn’t go as well as you KNOW it could have if you would have had more time to prep. . . did you prep the best you could, given all your other life situations, circumstances, and responsibilities? that’s what counts.
we want to envision the best. we want to see a perfect outcome each and every time. we want to strive for perfection. but when it comes down to the actual results, regardless of how we actually performed, we want to ask the question – did I do the best I could with what I had? did I work really hard to get the best outcome possible? did I prep as much as I could, considering everything else that’s going on? and what is this outcome telling me about what I need to change? am I trying to do too much? do I need to lighten my workload? or is this one of those life situations that is chaotic, and it won’t always be this way, and I just have to do the best I can given everything else that’s going on?
sometimes we have the ability to be as prepared as we possibly can. more times than not, however, we have other things going on. and that’s perfectly fine. do the best you can with what you have. work your ass off for the best outcome possible. when you don’t get the result you want, be easy on yourself. remember, there is no failure, there’s only feedback. look at every outcome as a teacher. you’re either getting the results you want, or you’re getting feedback about what you might need to change to get better results. and as long as you are honestly giving your best with what you have, within the context of everything else going on, you’re doing a lot better than you think.
we’re not saying settle for less than what you know you’re capable of. we’re saying have a different mindset about it. envision perfection. then celebrate in giving your best. let your results guide you to make the changes you need to get better results in the future. and be easy on yourself in the present moment. you’re on path, and that’s what matters most :)
— Paul C. Tijerina
