This is a motto that I often repeat to myself daily; Do Your Best. After all, I can’t do any better than that. Regardless of the planning or lack of, regardless of my ability, regardless of my experience, regardless of my preference, I can still do my best.
This can be tricky for the current generation to conceptualise and apply when there is a multitude of data, results and feedback constantly provided. How we perceive these results and feedback will determine whether we learn from them or not. If we see result as the end destination, we will struggle to see continued progress. However, if we see them from a perspective of application of effort and attitude we can continually grow and learn.
There are a few things I encourage us to focus on when doing your best. Do not compare.
They say, comparison is the thief of joy, from my experience, this is true. I don’t want to start on a negative, but in life there is always someone better, bigger, stronger, smarter. If we are constantly comparing to others, it sucks our joy and happiness as we remind our self that what we’re doing isn’t good enough. Instead, we can compare ourselves to our own results and be able to track our own progress, regardless of others may perform.
Understand that your best looks different. We’re reminded in Psalm 139:14;
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well”.
When we insult the product, we insult the manufacturer. God is the creator of all the heavens, earth and you and I. When we look at our best and think that’s not good enough and start to get down, we need to realise that there’s nothing else, or more we can do than that. We need to accept and be okay with our strengths and weaknesses whilst still striving to improve and develop ourselves. All God wants from us it to apply our best, regardless of the end result and what that may look like.
Focus on the process, not the result.
As a parent, and teacher, one of the best ways to instill this mindset of doing your best, is through words of affirmation. Encouragement, not focused on the end result but on their effort, attitude and hard work. This harnesses and promotes purpose, and reason and celebrates effort not the final numerical value and result.
Reports will come out later this term, I encourage you not to focus on the results as the final outcome, but on the attitude and mindset of ‘doing your best’.
If we can teach our young people to be motivated by doing their best, they will overcome more challenges and difficulties, which creates constant progress and learning.
Francis Pascal — Acting Primary Coordinator