Try your best, that’s all we can ask. How many times did you hear this growing up? We never mean this, as humans. Ever. We want to mean it, I think. But we don’t.
When we say try your best we mean “just do it…oh and don’t screw up.” Your boss, at work, certainly doesn’t want you to LITERALLY only try your best. If your best isn’t good enough you’re bound to hear about it, or others around you will hear about it. Do your best is the cliché line we say when we don’t want to say “Really? You don’t know how to do this? Well…just try your best.” And then, as we walk away, we hope for the best.
Seriously, think about anytime you have used this phrase. Did you REALLY mean it? And why? Why is “your best” good enough? Shouldn’t we always strive to be doing better? To go above and beyond? To further ourselves and our knowledge? So would it hurt to say “Do your best. If it sucks, do it again. Or seek someone who can help you.”
You don’t pull up to the bank to deposit your check and say “Hey do your best at making sure my money gets into my account, and that you return correct change to me.” What if her best really WAS shorting you that five bucks? I’m not envisioning you pulling away from the bank with a simple shrug of your shoulders. “Well, she tried,” you’d say. Not believing that for an instant.
I’ve certainly never walked into a doctor’s office and hoped they “did their best” in diagnosing what is wrong with me. If they’re just going to do their best at figuring out what is wrong with me? I’m only going to do my best at paying them. Sorry, my best today was only 5 bucks.
I challenge you to say “Hey, do your best” to little Susie when you leave your kids alone with her for a night out, next time. Yeah-freaking-right. When it comes to your kid “doing your” best at taking care of them? Never acceptable, right?
“It’s okay, payroll department, I know you did your best. Don’t worry that I didn’t get a check this week.” Can you imagine ever saying this? …I doubt it! So why on Earth do we say that to people, in any instance?
This “you did your best” attitude needs to be stopped. Don’t do YOUR best, do THE best. If your best isn’t as good as it can get? Keep working at it. Why is that so hard to say? I have no problem doing so.
And I guess, if you didn’t like this blog? Too bad. I did my best.
I agree in these real situations you outlined, but I kinda...like the whole 'do your best'. I think in non-work, non-finance type situations it can work. I mean, there are many, many people out there whose best will never be THE best. Hell, many things I do are not THE best, but they are certainly MY best. And that's kinda good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteBut you knew all this already
The point is that when they aren't your best? Find a way to work on them. Improve. Find someone who can help you make them the best. It isn't so much about actually being THE BEST or even achieving it. It's about not settling for "well I tried..." or using the "I did my best," as an excuse!
ReplyDeleteI do know what you mean, however. :)