How Do You Define Your Best? - Wisdom4Humanity with Patrick Mosher

Please stop signing your letters and your emails with "best." Other forms include "all the best," "best regards," "very best." Why? Reserve "best" for exactly that—your best. And by the way, "very best" is particularly troublesome for me. If "best" is indeed best. What does very best mean? Is there a category of best which is less than very best? I learned imaginary numbers in high school, so maybe this category of best less than very best has that in its realm. Well, how do you define your best? So let's find out. I'm working with Bo Eason, storytelling expert, former NFL All-Star, Broadway playwright, and motivational speaker. He works with people to be their best. And working with him has made this word best nearly sacred for me. So let's explore. Best is defined as the most excellent, outstanding, or desirable. Best isn't just a high bar, It's the highest bar. When you signed off your letter or email with "best," did you delve deep into your whole being, gather up all your best thoughts and best intentions? Did you think about how you can best serve that person's life mission and then write that word "best"? Hmm. Oh, and what about using "best" as an apology? That one really grinds me. Someone hands you their work and says, "Well, I did my best." When you hear that whiny tone, it means they're setting your expectation for poor quality, something way less than best. The full phrase means something like, "I did my best with the crappy conditions given to me," or, "I did my best with the awful resources given to me," The unreasonable timeline, the impossibly low budget. I'm not happy with the output, but here. Well, you get my drift. So please stop using best as an apology. So what is your best? We're always in pursuit to be our best, but are we ever there? Best is elusive. I had the amazing opportunity to ask an Olympic runner about winning the gold medal. And I asked if he ran his best in that race. No. Despite imperfect conditions, his relay team won a gold medal. It was the best in the world. And yet people who pursue the best never give up. They squeeze more and more out of themselves, tune and fine-tune. They aren't in competition with others. They compete with the best version of themselves. They drive and strive for more. Best is beyond your reach, and, and yet it's ever-present, pulling you to adapt and tune, to hone your talent like a beautiful gem you continually polish, and it shines brighter and brighter. So let's shine. Create a specific vision of your best. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Visualization is a powerful tool. Seriously, close your eyes and take a deep breath and imagine yourself in one of your everyday challenging situations. Now visualize your best Wow. Pick up a pen and paper and take down some notes. How are you standing? What's the look on your face look like? What's your body posture? What do you say? How do you feel? And more importantly, how do the people or the person that you're around feel? And then begin. Strive for it. Let it pull you, encourage you, motivate you. Remember to celebrate the milestones as you move closer to it. Many high performers forget that part— celebration. If you forget to celebrate, well, maybe you get disheartened and, and founder. If you attain that measure of success that defines the best, even for a moment, Raise your arms and celebrate. Share your victory with friends and have a party. And then look up and around. Breathe in that rarefied air. And like any mountain you climb, there's another beautiful mountain to summit, another calling. Your work is done with your last breath. Make every breath and every step count. Don't you think the people around you and our world need you and need you at your best? So let's go.