Jun 18, 2020

You are Doing Your Best!

by Melissa, Office Manager

Ridgecrest Herbals is a small company and all of us end up picking up and doing things that would not traditionally be included in our job descriptions. In some ways that can allow you the freedom to try things that you normally wouldn’t get to do, but there are some assignments that we may prefer a big team to take those tasks on. I could pitch a fit and say I don’t have time and refuse the writing assignments, but honestly, my desire to be a good team player outweighs the dread I feel doing it. So I do my best. 

Now, my best may not be very good. In fact, it might be downright terrible and totally unacceptable. When I do my best, even if it is terrible, my desire is for people to agree that my efforts were acceptable. How often do we view other’s efforts and deem them as “not their best” and not sufficient, but how do we know?  We all have limitations and have plenty of things that we fall short of. All of us. I can look at myself and focus on things that are deficient instead of strengths. I am really uncoordinated, I eat way too much sugar and don’t have a poker face at all. I could focus on these things a million others, but I honestly like myself and I think I am smart and funny and I make killer chocolate chip cookies and I believe I am doing my best. I don’t think spending all my time thinking of ways I fall short is very helpful and I don’t think that it is helpful to do that in others. Instead, I choose to think everyone is trying their best. Their efforts may not be enough, but I don’t know all of their circumstances so I choose to believe they are doing their best. We can free each other from the weight of our expectations on them and maybe ourselves.

I know there are people out there who do bad things to other people and I am not referring to them. I am talking about the little things that people do or don’t do well that we hold on it. Our neighbors may be doing the best they can at keeping those weeds under control, It may not be your standards in fact it could be a total mess, but maybe just maybe we can let it go and believe they are doing their best.  None of us can do everything perfectly. We mess up and fall short all the time. There is not one universal measuring stick for everyone. The differences in each of us are what make our world rich and full. 

If we looked at others and honestly believed they were trying their best how would our perspective change on others? How would it change about yourself? Being a human is hard and you are doing your best!