Simply the Best

People have called me a perfectionist. I don't think that's true, however, if I show those tendencies it's because I require it of myself, not in others. When people around me think I'm attempting to apply that same tendency to them? Well...it used to hurt my feelings because I knew it was unfair of me to do that. When I asked GOD (two decades ago), "What am I doing that makes people feel that way?" That is when GOD began to reveal to me what a "spirit of excellence" really was.

I was reared to excel. "Try your best." is what I can recall my Mother saying often. So, if I attempted something I gave my all. When I completed a task (it could be a chore, a picture, a painting) and asked my Mother, "Do you like it?", she would reply, "Do YOU like it?" This helped me realize that I had to be satisfied with whatever I did before soliciting the opinion of anyone else. So, I always tried my best. In our household growing up, C's were bad grades. It wasn't until I entered junior high school that I realized the grade of C was average for everyone else. My Mother was also one of those,"If at first you don't succeed, try and try again." type of people. The caveat was, only try again if you really want it. I love that caveat. That caveat helped me to quickly deduce the things I wanted to pursue and the things I didn't...or shouldn't pursue. Case and point: In my neighborhood, I was considered a pretty good runner. In 4th grade, I went to a brand new school and was filled with confidence about almost anything. Our first gym class was relay racing. I raced against 2 or 3 people and won. Our gym teacher, Ms. Griffin began to race all of the winners of their relay. Finally, I was up against a really fast girl. Her name was "Shantel". I sized her up. She was long and lean. No matter. I will do my best! Ms. Griffin raised her hand. "On your mark. Get set." and the whistle blew. I flew from the starting line like usual only to see Shantel darn near the finish line. "Wait! What happened?" was my first thought but I quickly realized my best was not good enough...to beat Shantel. I had a priceless epiphany in the 4th grade. Everyone has a "best" and my best will be different than the best of another.

Never stop giving your best because YOUR best will and should always be good enough for you. That doesn't mean that someone else's best is necessarily better, it is simply THEIR best and not yours. So, I'm okay with MY best and I hope you're okay with YOUR best too.