IN MOTIVATING, we always hear the phrase “Give your best.” True enough, we always give things our best shot. We maximize our potential in the attempt to provide our best in our endeavors.
Athletes are renowned for this attitude. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, even our student-athletes are demanded this by their coaches. No one gets exempted from giving one’s best. I also teach my two children about giving their best in their school works and all other stuff they dabble in. In delivering our best, we have a lot of models from whom we can learn.
Incidentally, no one “gives their worst” as well. If everyone is inclined to give their best efforts, we can assume that no one also “gives their worst.” Giving one’s worst is tantamount to mediocrity in all we do.
The last several weeks have been laden with various stories of triumphs and defeats from our Filipino athletes. Our Olympic medal conquests. Manny Pacquiao’s stunning loss and our Paralympian’s performance in the Paralympics. They all did their best to train, to compete and to win. Eventually, not everyone can be declared a winner. If they trained hard, the same is valid for their competitors. Thus “giving one’s best” is always relative from one’s point of view.
“What is the best for you may not always be the best for me.” Don’t get me wrong; I am not promoting mediocrity.
The point is, let us cut these athletes and ourselves some slack. We cannot keep on criticizing them for losing and not keeping up to standards set by society. We even have to stop beating ourselves senseless to meet the rigors of work and everything we engage in. We all have our “off-nights”, much like these athletes.
Talking about everyone giving their best reminds me of the poem “Adversary”, also adopted by the Mindanao Peace Games from which “Kalaro, Kaibigan, Kasama” evolved.
“You are my adversary, but you are not my enemy.
For your resistance gives me strength, your will gives me courage,
Your spirit ennobles me.
And though I am to defeat you, should I succeed, I will not humiliate you.
Instead, I will honor you. For without you, I am a lesser man.”
Giving one’s best is relative because no one does give their worst. Instead, we genuinely recognize each other’s efforts to become good at what they do. In the end, what’s important are the learning and camaraderie while giving our best.