Do Your Best: Have No Regrets
The greatest satisfaction in my work comes from seeing others thrive in theirs. Whether it’s helping my clients, or you, dear reader, land the job, navigate the work culture, communicate professional skills, or begin the search for something new, I’m thrilled to be of service – helping you do your very best.
Doing your best is one of the key ingredients for success and personal freedom, according to author Don Miguel Ruiz. In his classic bestseller, The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz says, “Under any circumstance, always do your best – no more and no less.”
When you’ve done your best, but don’t land the job, nail the audition, get the raise, or earn a great score on the LSAT on the first try – it offers up a tremendous opportunity for learning. It can propel you to fine-tune resumes, increase practice time, seek out mentors, and register for online courses to help you “up” your game. Every experience, where you give the best you’ve got, helps you learn, and helps guide you on to the next step. As author, Maya Angelou wisely said, “When you know better, you do better.”
In The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz explains that your best can change from moment to moment. “Sometimes it will be high-quality and other times it will not be as good,” Miguel Ruiz says. “It doesn’t matter whether you are sick or tired – if you always do your best, there is no way you can judge yourself…”
I’ve seen clients be tremendously hard on themselves when, in their heart of hearts, they knew they could have been better prepared for a presentation at work, or a meeting with their boss. If my clients, or the women I speak with during the course of my travels, feel they’ve given less than one hundred percent, they’re often extremely disappointed in themselves, and feel they’ve let a valuable opportunity slip by.
By always doing our best, Miguel Ruiz says “there is no way you are going to suffer from guilt, blame and self-punishment.”
Doing your best is a powerful favor you do for yourself, and it’s something you work out between you and you! Only you know how hard you’ve worked…how hard you’ve tried. If you do your best, whatever your goal, you’ll keep growing and learning. If you do your best, whatever the quality…on good days as well as bad…you’ll have the respect of those around you, and, most importantly, you’ll have a greater respect for yourself!
