Being the Best that You can Be

There has been a thought that has been pressing me for quite some time. Here in the USA we are taught to dream big and strive to be the best, always at your best. We also teach that it is necessary, almost required, to exhibit humility. Additionally, we also attempt to instill the idea of conformance with the system, which includes the ideals of the surrounding community. For someone like me, this poses many questions.

The way that we are taught in our capitalistic society potentially arrive at such a divisive contrast and could drive some people insane. Let’s take a deeper look at what I can only call the process of rising up.

In order to be the best at something, you need to work hard and that hard work leads to confidence. When you are self confident, you tend to be proactive and go after the things that you want. That confidence and outspoken nature can be misinterpreted as lacking humility. It is important to remember that we all define all these terms differently. For some people, to be humble requires one to bow their head to those who are deemed to be more superior. That superiority could be physical power, intelligence, influence, etc. Confident people don’t usually walk around with their heads held low. They teach us in elementary school to have your chin up and shoulders back.

Being humble does not mean being submissive or subservient; it is not for me anyways. Being humble means having great talent and manifesting that talent into the world while still having the ability to treat others with respect. Sometimes I get the impression that it is offensive to put your skills on display. Thankfully, I do not have a problem with that.

Then there is the notion of conformity. Is it wrong to be unique? Having everything the same is not natural. Take a look at the jungle or the ocean, that is nature in a pure form. The Jungle and the ocean do not harbor one single species. There is a multitude of species with a huge array of colors and scales. All this diversity works in an unsuppressed ecosystem. What if that ecosystem is what we are lacking in our world? To be the best one must have confidence which can in some cases break with conformity. That is what a trailblazer is and without people like that we would still be living in caves.

All these things, the misinterpretation of humility and conformity and repression, have lead us to create societal pressures that stifles us from being our very best. We have created a world where those that are the best are obtuse and flaunting and disrespectful and unsportsmanlike. We actually celebrate those things in our culture.

Regardless, it is important to make every attempt to rise above it all and just be at your best. Be the best that you can be. Do it for you, be the best for yourself. Challenge yourself to break your own boundaries. Do not waste your time worrying about pressing boundaries with others. When focus on others and they establish the limits, then you cannot focus on challenging yourself to be the very best and produce value and positive outcomes in the world. Be at your best. Be the best that you can be. Be the best because that is how you operate. Be the best even when people think that you are crazy and no one cares. Be the best even when the world says you are not. Be the best not for them, but for you because that is who you are.

There is one final test for being the best that you can be. Surround yourself with others that feel the same way. That is the true challenge to your mindset and emotional stamina and security. Here’s a great example. A colleague of mine is a great builder. He has risen through the ranks of a huge corporation and is now a valuable asset. I have tremendous respect for him. He is very confident in his ability and knows how to get things done the right way. Let’s say you had the opportunity to be business partners. There are those that might find reasons to shy away from that because it would disrupt their ego.

Look at a winning professional sports team. Each one of those players feel that they are the best. They were touted as the best when they were kids, in high school, in college and now as a professional. Imagine a whole team full of those guys. The teams that win have the ability to be the best, but not let their ego get in the way of their teammates being the best that they can be. I believe that is what it takes to be successful in life: surrounding yourself with those that are stronger than you and being able to sit at that table. Just as they say: if you are not at the table, then you are probably on the menu.

So get out there, be the very best you can and surround yourself with those that desire the same.