Why Even Try to Be The BEST?
Paul White's nationally distributed syndicated column, “Why Even Try to Be The BEST?” is published in 22 publications across seven states. This includes the following newspapers and digital publications: Midland Daily News (MI), SFGate (CA), Seattle PI (WA), Connecticut Post (CT), Laredo Morning Times (TX), Huron Daily Tribune (MI), The Telegraph (IL), and more. In this week's article, Paul shares the benefits of TRYING to be the best.
You really should read my book: The Answer Discovery. Why? Well, ...because it includes over 100 life lessons and it’s an easy and enjoyable read, even if you don’t particularly like reading a book. Remember, when you read a book that improves your life, you’re investing in yourself and the impact you have on other people including family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and people in the community you live in. That’s why today’s article focuses on one of the life lessons from my book: The Benefits of TRYING to be the Best!
One morning I was having a face-to-face talk with the man in the mirror. Married at the time, I wondered what the best husband in the world looked like. We had kids by then, and I asked myself what the best father in the world looked like. With both of my parents still alive at the time, I was curious as to what the best son in the world would be doing on a day like today.
This thought process quickly began to morph into something huge. I started wondering about the best neighbor, the best cousin, the best uncle, the best boss, the best co-worker, the best student, the best educator, the best mentor, the best community member, the best member of the state and country, and just for fun I threw in the very best person in the world. What did they all look like, and even more importantly, what evidence would allow someone to come to that conclusion? What did they have in common? What did they do differently, and was the difference huge or subtle? Was it a conglomeration of things they did a little bit better than others, or was it one particular thing they did so well that it propelled them ahead of everyone else?
I had this insatiable desire to pursue this line of thinking, and so I gave myself the task of developing a system that would help me accomplish framing what the best person would look like in all of these instances. During the process I developed a new set of listening skills that allowed me to pick up on conversations I heard between people, where someone was saying something nice about someone else. I would wait for an appropriate opening and then engage the person who had said the nice things with a statement and then a question, like: ‘Wow, you’re saying some really nice things about someone, and you really seem to appreciate them. How did that come to be?’ The answers I heard were very broad and ranged from ‘They’ve just always been kind to me’ to ‘They saved my life.’ I developed some simple follow-up statements and questions that allowed me to dive deeper into why this person meant so much to them. Sometimes it was as simple as asking them to tell me more.
My abilities to gain knowledge from these interactions grew, and one day I realized that I had learned a tremendous amount about what meant the most to people in their relationships with others. I spent time interacting with the people whom others so admired and developed a list of qualities that set people apart from, and ahead of, others in every category I had originally listed: husband, father, son, coworker, etc.
Then I set about finding people I already knew who possessed those qualities and began to model their behavior and patterns. I supplemented all of this with books about people who had stood out positively in our society, finding at least one thing that these people, whether historical or current, were doing right, and then implemented it into my own daily behavior. The most exciting part was taking thought processes and behavior that I admired from a large group of individuals and packaging it into who I wanted to be, selecting the best of everyone to become the very best version of myself.
The challenge now became, ‘How do I restructure my life so that, in every area, I’m making consistent progress on becoming the best husband, father, son, coworker, and on and on?’ Others I saw successfully improving in the important areas of their life seemed to have mastered what I can best describe as being in the present moment. So, I modeled that skill. When I was with my wife, my mind would be engaged in everything I was saying and doing, attempting to say and do, based on what the best husband in the world would. Was I perfect right from the get-go? No. But I recognized positive momentum as my relationship with my wife improved steadily to the point that, one day, she shared with me that she had noticed a difference in me and how happy she was to be married to me. Then she proclaimed me to be the best husband in the world. Modeling had worked! Let’s go back to the beginning. When I set out to be the best husband in the world, was I attempting to have some worldwide organization proclaim that I was? No. There was really only one person that I wanted to claim me as the best husband in the world. That was my wife. And that also doesn’t mean that, once accomplished, the goal had lost its significance. The people I most admired, whom I had modeled my husband role after, had been that way for years, always improving and growing in that role.
So, Why Even Try to Be The BEST? First, there isn’t any downside! Second, you can base your life on constant and never-ending improvement. That’s a GOOD thing. Third, you’ll have a powerful positive impact on the world. So GiddyUp today attempting to be the very best you can be in all the areas that make you who you are. Remember, I Believe In YOU! There’s over 100 more life lessons in my book. Buy it today using the link below!
In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist, Paul White is an author, motivational and inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, and life coach located in Midland, Michigan. His new book, “The Answer Discovery – How to Change the World by Helping Others…and Ourselves,” is available to purchase today. If you’re interested in getting in touch with Paul, please submit an inquiry via our Contact Page.