How often can you truly say to yourself, “I did my best?” I am reading The Little Book of Leadership by Jeffrey Gitomer and just came across a very inspiring chapter on doing your best that I wanted to share. Gitomer says:
“The word BEST is very difficult to define in writing, but it’s easy to react to and easy to feel when you are doing it. It’s a personal dedication, and a work ethic, not a word…No matter where you are on the food chain of leadership or followership, best is not an option. Best is a way of life. It starts with best thinking…In leadership, best is also an example you set for others. Your people will perform to your level of best as much as they will to their level of best…After EVERY base-on-balls (walk), baseball immortal Pete Rose RAN to first base. ..All 1566 times he walked, he ran…People doing their best are obvious, and equally obvious are people not doing their best.”
Are you truly doing your best? Are you giving 100%? If not, why? What is holding you back? I write a great deal in Working Toward Excellence about legendary coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden called it “Industriousness,” which rose above the level of what most people would call hard work. Industriousness meant, “true work at your highest capacity, fully engaged, totally focused, and completely absorbed. No clock-watching, no punching in and out, no going through the motions.”
Think about this blog and the wisdom of Gitomer and Wooden and come up with some goals that will allow you to say – with complete honesty, humility, and authenticity – “I did my best.”
