Be the best!

I was thinking a lot today about how easy it is to just get casual with life. It has been said that "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of the things which matter least." I can definitely see that this is the case with my life. In the last year I have become very casual with many different things that should have taken priority in my life. As a result my success and overall satisfaction in many areas has suffered. Although I got by with somewhat decent results, there is always the thought of what might have been? It is interesting to me what a difference it can make when we forget to do those small things that we know we ought to. Just think about how much time we spend browsing the internet or a variety of other tasks (not necessarily bad) but that leave us at the end of the day feeling unaccomplished. I hope that by typing my thoughts and feelings through this blog that I can not only touch someone, but have my own personal reminder of what I believe will increase satisfaction and joy in life.

A few quotes came to my mind that have served as a reminder not to settle for average. We all are at different stages but I think that it is safe to say that we all have special talents, gifts, and an innate ability to excel in certain areas. Why should we sit back for what ever reason and let life happen without using these to enhance and bless the lives of others?

" Good is the enemy of best, and the thing that most do not realize is that it is not much harder to achieve the first than the second. Rather, it is a question of which you expect of yourself; and your ability to see adversity not as a roadblock but as a challenge of great interest. Kites rise against the wind... Beethoven wrote his greatest works after he was deaf. Desire is the whole point. And what your mind sees when it looks through the sights of your goals is where your effort will strike. Why not get an 'A' instead of a 'B'? Why not be your own personal best at whatever you undertake instead of getting by, by being good? I challenge you to forsake the idea of being good... instead ... be the best; and as you do I promise that you will settle for only the best, that you will never fear a challenge, that you will see the opportunity that lies in adversity as well in prosperity. I challenge you not to be good, but to be the best!"

* Take into consideration that your best is not your friend's best. You know when you have given your all, and that is all that is expected of you. Don't try to compare yourself to others because you are at a completely different stage in life and your path is not the same. Have you ever tried to study for a test by using the wrong review? You might have gotten the review down, and even gained a lot of personal insight, however you probably didn't do the best that you might have, had you obtained and studied the proper review.
Take time to evaluate yourself, your goals, desires, aspirations, and find ways to always remind yourself that you are your own self! You are an individual with the power to become whatever you think you can be! The thought proceeds the action, and the action proceeds the result.

The second quote that came to mind was one that many will find to be familiar, but it is definitely worth re-reading.

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson