This is a guest post by my friend, Jeff Shore. Jeff is a highly sought-after sales expert, speaker, author and executive coach
“I do not try to dance better than anyone else.
I only try to dance better than myself.”
~Mikhail Baryshnikov
Your best is not the same as the highest you can achieve!
At some point in your childhood, you were probably told to “do your best.” While not bad advice, this phrase contains some potentially negative implications.
photo credit: Sanctuary photography → back ! maybe :p via photopin cc
Perhaps most importantly, “do your best” is often delivered with the word “just” tacked on the front of it or at least with the spirit of the word attached. In this context, the word ‘just’ means: only, simply, or merely. Hmmm. Notice an opening for the concept of mediocrity there?
Let’s take a look at how Webster’s defines the word ‘best:’
• better than all others in quality or value
• most skillful, talented, or successful
• most appropriate, useful, or helpful
My point is, being the best isn’t a “merely” kind of thing and it certainly isn’t simple. For those of you who are very successful at what you do—who are perhaps the highest selling salespeople on your teams—you know what I mean. It takes commitment and a great deal of hard work to be “the best.” There is no “just” about it. Truly doing one’s best is an admirable way of being.
If you are doing your genuine best, my question for you is, what does your future best look like? This is a crucial question to keep at the forefront of your mind, as being “the best” is a very temporary condition. It is only a matter of time until your position as the one who is the best (at anything) will end as others catch up to your skill level, or your skills start to wane, or you become increasingly irrelevant in a changing market.
The same degree of drive and commitment that gets each of us to an initial “best” must remain in order for us to achieve a future best. Do not fall victim to the idea that your best level is the same as the highest level you can achieve!
best level ≠ highest level
Aim for your future best by brainstorming how can you design your own improvement path for continued dramatic growth in your career. Be bold…don’t “just do your best”…work towards your future best!
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.”
~ Khalil Gibran
About the Author: For more than three decades, Jeff Shore has guided executives and sales teams in large and small companies across the globe to embrace their discomforts and deliver BOLD sales results. In a crowded field of sales experts and training programs, Jeff Shore stands out with his research-based BE BOLD methodology. Combining his extensive front-line sales experience with the latest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy research, Jeff has created a highly effective, personalized way to reset sales paradigms and deliver industry-leading results.
His innovative BE BOLD methodology teaches you how to change your mindset and change your world. His latest book, Be Bold and Win the Sale: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Boost Your Performance, is forthcoming from McGraw-Hill in January 2014. Learn more and follow Jeff on Twitter.
Share this Post