I believe it's always in one's best interest to constantly grow and improve their self-esteem. The dictionary describes self-esteem as "confidence and satisfaction in oneself." These attributes always seem to be critical in deciding one's lifestyle and prosperity. In this lesson, we will discuss how I believe individuals can constantly improve their self-esteem, by always attempting to do their BEST, in all they attempt to do.
Let's begin by saying that "doing YOUR best," does not mean that you must attempt to do everything perfect. Striving for perfection in everything you do can create a great deal of frustration in your life. We must recognize that we are all not qualified to reach the highest skill levels in all endeavors. Here's a quick explanation. Recently I read an article about coffee tasters who are highly qualified specialists that work at the New York Board of Trade. These coffee professionals can take a sip from several cups of coffee and tell you exactly where the coffee beans from each cup originated....right down to the country of origin; region; and at what altitude the beans were grown. They can tell buyers the exact quality of the beans and how much they are worth at current prices. This type of perfectionism can only result from decades of focused experience in the coffee business and is limited to 47 tasters worldwide who are contracted by the NYBOT. Thus, unless you strive to be a coffee taster, being your best at coffee tasting will not make you as qualified as those 47 tasters. Attempting tasks that require extreme skills and experience you haven't acquired, then expecting perfection,; can lead to lots of frustration.
However, during our lifetime, we will do many common tasks required by the masses. How we approach and complete these tasks will add or subtract from our individual self-esteem. Lots of these tasks will begin during our grade school years. Being conscientious and responsible as a young child about one's homework assignments is a great place to start. I believe there's a world of difference in character building between just getting by each day by turning in sloppy work that's usually late.......or completing assignments neatly and on time representing one's BEST efforts. Over time individuals will develop either good or bad habits that can have an enormous effect on their own self-esteem.
Doing your best at small tasks like homework, makes parents very proud and more likely to complement their kids for their efforts. These complements feed the needs of children for acceptance and satisfaction and will enable them to continue doing their best at all tasks they attempt to perform. One's development of high self-esteem at an early age can have a positive impact all through their developmental years; through high school; college; and throughout their adult life.
I believe that doing your best at all tasks you attempt, regardless of how menial they might be, can pay high dividends throughout your lifetime. For instance if you set out to wash and wax your car, why not do your best at it? I remember when I was a teenager and owned a good looking 62 Chevy, I would hand wash it and shine it every single weekend before going out on a date. It took extra time and effort to do my best, however driving around in a shiny car made me and my dates feel great. A small menial task done to the best of my ability created lots of pride and satisfaction for me. And set the stage to continue doing my best at other tasks.
Now forty years later, I still find myself washing and shinning things to make them look their absolute best. Recently I turned a refrigerator that sat for months without use and needed some attention, into a shiny item that looked like it was just shipped from the manufacturer. The same pride and self-esteem I acquired from those early car washing lessons remained with me for four decades. Thus I have always felt that completing tasks, regardless of how large or small; menial or complex --- to the best of my ability, has always paid off handsomely in growing my self-esteem. Then by having a high self esteem, I believe I have always attempted to be more and do more throughout my lifetime.
Doing your best at all you attempt just makes good common sense. The results are always going to be better than doing things half-heatedly. Your efforts will bring you pride and satisfaction and perhaps place your pride in workmanship on display, which may be recognized by those who appreciate individuals who go the extra mile. These individuals may be employers, clients or investors. These are individuals who can turn one's career into a financial success and enable one to have a prosperous lifestyle. The possibilities derived from always doing your best are actually unlimited.
If you haven't been doing your best up to now......why not begin today? Today is as good a day as any to begin a new philosophy regarding this mindset. Go the extra mile! Do your very best. It can pay off handsomely for life.