My wife and I once spent a relaxed weekend in Langley, an island town known for its quaint shops and wonderful food. In the window of one antique store was a weathered hand-painted sign, with the phrase, Langley’s Best Yet is Better. I liked it (the old-fashioned way, with emotion, not by clicking a thumbs-up icon).
Best is Relative
Are you striving to be “the best”? The best is relative…to your competition, your peers, your friends. Therefore, it is not something you control. Striving to be the best tempts you to focus on others’ weaknesses instead of your own improvement. Being the best could even limit you, as it’s not the same thing as being excellent. You can be better than all your competition, yet still have a gap between your performance and excellence.
Better is Best
The reference point for better is you; your current capability and your potential. You seek to grow from where you are at, not in relation to your competition (or friends). When becoming better is your goal, criticizing others does nothing to advance your cause.
You Got This!
As I left the store window and walked down the street I thought, perhaps sometimes what is best is better, not best.
Where have you been judging your performance in relation to others? Write an honest assessment of your own capabilities, with specific action steps of how you can improve.
Leave a Reply