Today is a very auspicious day – Ganesh Chaturthi – Ganesh, the one who removes all the obstacles, the bestower of the blessings upon us all – what a beautiful way to celebrate such a benevolent day – Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.
This morning I read the direction question PW48 my friend Joe (founder of PrivateWork) shared on his FB wall, and somehow, he planted a seed in my thoughts which unfolds like this…
Well, you already are the best in the world in what you do every day – you just have to realize that and know that for sure. You have the biggest power to change the stream of your thoughts, habits, behavior, emotions, and intentions – which all lead to how you manifest your life, every day. No one in this wide world is like you. You are special – like everyone else is special in their unique way. Your unique thought processes, life style, choices you make every day are unlike anyone else’s.
Your DNA – is one of a kind. Being the best is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Else, you’re always chasing something that is not yet and never will be. Have you ever heard of Allan Watts (Music and Life)?
I am the best version of myself the way I am because everything I have done in my past is a culmination of what got me to the place where I am right now. When you do the best you can in every situation life presents to you – to the very best of your abilities, efforts, and beliefs, you already are the best version of your self in the whole wide world. We all have our limitations and we all work within that ever expanding frame – we may be aware of it or not yet. I believe it’s human nature to strive to our best abilities – whatever that may be. Sometimes we get stuck and we need some help, guidance, and encouragement and it’s ok to admit that and ask for help. Being honest to yourself is not a weakness, it’s a sign of strength.
The question is, who am I?
You know who you are when you get to a place in life when you’re content, perfectly at peace with what you do, where you are, what you have, who you are – sure you can notice what others are doing and what they have achieved, get inspired, nudged, but that should not be your compass, your indicator of what it means to be the best. Life is not a competition because the end has already been determined when you were born – there are no exceptions to that rule. As I said before – we are all special and unique in our very own continuously evolving ways – none of us is the same – your capacity to generate what we perceive as success, that defines your best, your potential, your drive, mental capacity, emotional stability, consistency, perseverance, the way you apply your talents, skills, and abilities may be totally different to mine.
The way you choose to live your life is something you have to discover and decide on your own, it’s a process to be fully lived, the best you can. Other people can advise, suggest, encourage you to explore, but only you can know your life’s fullest potential and purpose – and only I know mine. Just like only you know where to scratch yourself when you have an itch – no one else in this world can figure that out. 🤪
You are the best in what you do – there is no one in this world like you – no one that expresses themselves like you. The question is – are you allowing yourself to be the best in what you do every single moment in your life? I believe every action, thought, and word matters.
When you hug someone, when you say hello, good day mate, cheerio, thank you, have an amazing day, when I give you a hand, when I think of you, when I write – am I doing the best I can? Being 100% present, authentic, fully serving you, and not myself or doing it out of some other selfish interest? Am I being the best version of myself in every aspect and area of my life? In all the relationships and situations life has presented to me? That’s my inner compass.
What does it mean to be the best?
The best mother, father, husband, wife, partner, sister, brother, friend, and stranger in the world I can possibly be – to the person I am ‘that’ person to? I think you can give yourself fully only when you know who you are. When at the end of the day you go to sleep with a smile, and you’re are perfectly content, without any regrets, even if you never wake up again.
When I know who I am, I can truly be the best version & expression of myself – in whatever area I choose to express myself – which is just an outcome of what I am. However, if I focus all my attention on the outcome itself, no matter what that goal is – chances are, it may end up being just another outcome – I can get stuck chasing dreams, not living my life.
The whole setup in your life, as it currently is – that is your best opportunity to excel in – be the best in the world in that. Be it in your current work situation or with people in your life – when the setup changes, which always does – simply continue doing & being the best you can. Like this, step by step, you start manifesting your true heart’s desires and outcomes – the highest potential you can reach in this lifetime will happen automatically.
Accept what is, make the best of what is, do your best, and you are the best. Unlike any living soul in this world – you won’t have the need to compare – you will radiate, you will know that, and so will everyone else who comes your way – physically or through the service you offer to others, to the world.
I guess it all boils down to what we call self-confidence. The more self-aware you are, the more confident you become – when self and confidence are in equilibrium – the more you perceive yourself as the best in what you do – by yourself and others. So, check how much of your attention goes towards self-awareness and how much towards trying to impress others.
How much do you crave, and need others’ recognition? That’s an excellent indicator to set you on the path toward focusing more on your self-awareness.
Yet nearly everything in this world is geared towards the opposite way – school recognition, work accomplishment, status in life, the uniformed way of measuring success, social media followers, the number of likes, leader boards. I have a bias here, because IMO the algorithms are lagging behind – it seems more that it’s a quantity vs quality-based approach that defines your success in this day and age. Yet, you may be miles ahead of the masses in what you do, yet it won’t be picked up or recognized. It may be that some people are here in this world to set a direction for the next generation who will truly understand the value of their work. So many great souls we appreciate today, who are considered geniuses were totally misunderstood during their lifetime. Sadly, many of them lived and died in disdain and poverty.
But no matter what their life circumstances were, they all had at least one person who believed in them besides themselves – they continued living their purpose in life – they couldn’t settle for anything else. Nikola Tesla, Edgar Allan Poe, Galileo Galilei, Emily Dickinson, Gregor Johann Mendel, Harriet Tubman, Henry David Thoreau, El Greco, Franz Kafka, John Keates, Oscar Wilde, and Vincent Van Gogh to name just a few – though I don’t wish anyone a life of struggle like theirs. These things are often hard to understand, I don’t have the whole picture, but perhaps suffering and all the struggle was part of their life’s purpose. For example, there would be no ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ written by Viktor Frankl, if it wasn’t for his unimaginable suffering he had to endure and survive.
I know that some people in this world are very much misunderstood and ahead of their time. And many of them do struggle; I suppose it’s all part of the evolution, the way it’s supposed to be – a sacrifice for the rest of us who are yet to realize their message, their wisdom, the beauty they share, their love for mankind – so we too may progress one day. At the end of the day, all of us walk the same path… each of us moving one step at a time – sometimes forwards, sideways, or even a step backwards.
You or I – neither of us were born knowing how to talk, write, walk, run, swim, dream, think. And here I am today – not because other people in life taught me what to think, how to be, how to talk or walk – but because I was encouraged to think, to walk, to be, to talk, to love. I was inspired to pull it all out from within. I learned all the HOWs on my own, I was motivated by the people around me – well, at least some of them, and that was enough to set me off towards where I am today. I’ve always found a conducive environment to be free, to explore, to express myself, to discover, to ask questions – all that lead towards strengthening my confidence, my inner string that connects me to the Self – to God.
Strengthen your connection to the self, and you will be more than okay. You will be the best version of yourself in this world and whatever you do will reflect that. And perhaps you already are, hence you smile. 😊
…and then we come together, to join our forces, to play, to smile, to create, to share our joys – the best of me, the best of you, the best of her, the best of him – the ripple effect reverberates like the waves in the ocean – all of us moving towards the same direction – one guiding force – same large swell that takes your breath away. Oh, what a joy to ride that wave!
Have an amazing day – riding your own chosen wave, again and again!
Brigi