Are you working toward becoming your best self?
During class this week at the dojo, I noticed that some of my students simply were not giving their best efforts- not being the “best self” I know they could be. It’s true that we all have “off” days every now and then. Sometimes things don’t fire as smoothly or as powerfully as we’d like. However, “off” days are different than a lack of effort.
I stopped the class and addressed the entire group as a whole.
“I do not understand why anyone would show up tonight and not give everything they have. I do understand that we all have other things to do; we have jobs, families, hobbies and other interests. Yet, if not for yourself only, then out of respect for all of those other things you missed in order to attend this specific class, why would you not make the most of it?”
We resumed and everyone’s effort intensified immediately. They truly started working towards being their best selves in that moment.
If you do it, you have to DO IT.
You don’t HAVE to do it. But if you do, you have to DO IT. It’s never the strongest or fastest person who becomes Sifu’s favorite. Sifu has never been impressed with the student who can easily do 10 pushups, but only does 8. He is impressed, rather, by the student who can only do 8 pushups but decides instead to give a little more of themselves and do 10.
You have to give 100% of yourself to everything you do or it is a waste of time.
In this respect, never become overly concerned with victory or defeat. These are only temporary things that will neither harm you nor help you. It is the amount of effort you put in that gives birth to the lasting changes in your life.
Life is but a compilation of moments. Once they pass, they are gone forever. If you love life, if you respect it, and if you are grateful for it then live each and every moment as if it is your last. Our next breaths are not guaranteed, so live each moment as if it is your last. In truth, it is the only moment you have that comes with any type of guarantee. Growth is uncomfortable by nature and too many of us seek out comfort. This only prevents our development as people.
My New Year challenge to you.
In this new year, I challenge you to reflect on whether or not you are really living up to your full potential and whether you’re taking the right steps to become your best self. Think back on the ups and downs that 2017 brought you, and be honest with yourself. Did you REALLY try?
Many of us hold back subconsciously. Unsurprisingly, this is mainly because we enjoy having the reassurance of knowing, or telling ourselves, we could have done it if we tried harder. This acts as an insulator to protect us from the feeling of failure.
Many of us talk about what we WOULD HAVE done if it were serious, or what we COULD HAVE done if we pushed a little harder. If we continue to think like this, I can guarantee that very seldom will you “rise to the occasion”. You will however, fall back to your habits time and time again.
A 7 part challenge for 2017
It only makes the most sense to make excellence your habit. Take some time to sit down, read each of these steps, and then write ideas on how you can complete each of them.
- Don’t do anything halfway.
- Always give your all. If you fail, at least you will know where you are and that you have given all that you could. There is still some time left this year; you could even start now.
- Pick out one or two things and think about ways you could do them better.
- Be more patient and practice kindness.
- Push yourself beyond the comforts of complacent behavior.
- Breathe.
- Be the best you that you can possibly be.
We will always regret the things that we’ve left undone, more than we regret any of our failures. It is the words that are left unsaid and the opportunities that we let pass that will haunt us as we move on through life. Do everything you can to stop that right now.
Whatever your chosen line of work, your hobbies or interests; give your all and do them well. You will find that making excellence a habit is just as contagious as laziness. Soon, with proper practice and attention, anything less than your best will seem so foreign and wrong that you will not believed you once accepted it.
Become your best self today.