Do you? Do or give your best? Or do you do the minimum, what you can ‘get by’ doing? I grew up with the phrase that if (‘it’ – fill in the blank) is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. This phrase became so ingrained in my thinking that it still directs much of my actions. It never is a question of whether or not someone else could do what you are doing better, faster, easier, etc. it’s whether or not you are doing your best in the situation. Does this still prevail, does this phrase still direct?
I initially (typically?) applied this phrase to those ‘things’ I really didn’t want to do but was quickly disabused of this application. There are certain ‘things’ that may not be a choice but are still responsibilities. But on a different plain, I was taught that if I was going to begin a project then I needed to consider first if I was willing to do, be, give all that I was able. It was never an issue of going beyond reasonable limits, never to put myself in harm’s way, but it became a mindset. Granted, I didn’t always listen to me… much to my chagrin, but I’m not certain that not giving my best was ever an option.
The argument that why would one ever enter into something without the attendant belief that what was being done was in everyone’s best interest was posited at some point. A kind of ‘why bother’ if not completely committed? All these concepts and words: committed, application, best, etc. are not and never were related to eventual success, though obviously that was the goal, but to the foundational philosophy. They were/are what we build on character upon.
None of what I’ve written should be heard in the voice of condemnation… unless that voice is you. If so, then you need to decide what you are going to do and be. You can try and quiet or disregard that ‘still, small voice’ but you always know that it’s present, hovering close by. Actually, you need to decide if ‘best’ is something you always want to do and be … and if not, what price you are willing to pay to change this. Or you can decide not to become involved with those projects that require your best. I do believe that one thing you will never be able to do is to forget this standard.
