Your best

Tuesday, November 19

“Are you giving it your best?”
“Well, no. But…”

This is constant conversation I have with people. They are frustrated with a situation. It could be their boss, a colleague, their health, their opportunities, or any number of issues. True, real frustrations. Things that can and should be better.

And while most people tend to blame external factors, I force them to look inward first. And one of the first places to look is effort and attention. Are you giving the problem in front of you, the problem you are most frustrated with, your best effort and attention?

And the answer, for the overwhelming majority of people, is no. And that “no” is immediately followed by a “but…”

They want to blame their lack of effort on someone else. They want to blame it on an undesirable outcome they’ve decided is inevitable. They want to blame it on anything but themselves.

So here’s the hard question. If you aren’t giving a situation your best, how can you expect it to get better? You are creating your own frustration. You are making a problem worse.

So today, a challenge. That thing that has been frustrating you? GIve it your absolute best effort and attention. Go at it full force. Maybe you don’t get the outcome you want. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. And at least you can lay your head on your pillow knowing you gave it your best.

Take ownership today.
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Keep chopping wood. 🪵🪓

-Kevin