You vs. You

One day, I was talking to a group of friends. About what? I can’t remember. But what I do remember is at one point turning to one friend and saying, ‘Just do your best.’ To which she scoffed and replied, ‘I hate when people say (insert air quotes) do your best. Sometimes your best isn’t good enough. It’s so cliché.’ ⁣
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At that moment, I looked at her squarely in the eyes in hopes that what I said next resonated. It’s a lesson I learned over time and one that’s applicable to us all: ‘Your best is all you can do. After your best, what more can you give?’ ⁣
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Each year, I run a few miles every morning for a couple of months. And each year, the very first day I lace up my shoes and hit the pavement, my run sucks. My breathing is off, my legs won’t move as fast as I’d like, I might cramp up, etc., etc. It’s not pretty. At the end of that first run, I check to see how fast I ran each mile. Next, I narrow in on which mile I ran the fastest. That time—my fastest mile—is what I’m competing against. ⁣
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In the weeks that follow (notice I didn’t say days—I play the long, sustainable game. I’d be at much higher risk of injury if I rushed the process), my goal is to shave one minute off of that time. I keep doing that until I get to a time that satisfies me. Some days I clock in slower than I did the day before. But you better believe that over time, my best gets better.⁣
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And this applies to everything. My only competition is me—my best time yesterday versus my best time today. I know what I have done. I know what I am doing. I know what I aim to do. When I commit to improving my best, my best only gets better. The same is true for you. Only you know where you have been, where you are and where you’re going. No one else has taken the same journey as you, so no one else is running alongside you. It’s you vs you. And so long as you’re giving life your best, then in time, you’ll reach the goal.