Giving your best

“There is dignity only when it is freely accepted” – Albert Camus

There are two good reasons why we need to do our best.

Firstly, when we give one hundred percent, we are happier. Remember back to when we were at school. Remember what it felt like walking to school, on those days when we had done all our homework – and done our best. Didn’t we feel just a bit more enthusiastic?

It doesn’t matter whether we’ve been out of school for 20 years, the “homework principle” still applies. Our teachers told us to work hard, our parents told us to work hard, bosses tell us to work hard – but we don’t work to please our parents and teachers and to keep our boss off our back. We do it for ourselves.

Secondly, the universe has a way of punishing laziness and arrogance. Enough things will go wrong in our lives – and work – without us giving half-hearted effort. When we get casual, things start to collapse. Ask the boxer who underestimates his competition. There’s a word to describe giving it our best shot every time – it’s called professionalism.

Have you ever noticed how some taxi/jeepney drivers make a trip a pleasure and some make it a pain? Same repetitious job. So where’s the difference? Happy cabbies have a different philosophy. These cabbies are cheerful because they give good service.

People who enjoy their work wake up saying: “Today, I’m going to be more effective and more caring than I was yesterday.” They don’t always hit the bull’s-eye, but it’s their aim.

For those who are already successful, still, take no chances, take no short cuts. You must still be committed to your craft and dedicated to constant improvement. Remember, it takes so much more than talent to stay at the top.