Always Do Your Best, Insights from a former Googler
I’ve been integrating the principles of the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz into my life for the past couple of years. The Four Agreements are: 1) Be Impeccable with Your Word. 2) Don’t Take Anything Personally. 3) Don’t Make Assumptions. 4) Always Do Your Best. First, let’s discuss this notion of “Best”.
Really, Always Do Your Best?
I had no issue with understanding and incorporating the first three agreements. They were clear, direct and mostly obvious. But honestly I initially struggled (and still do from time to time) with the fourth agreement: Always Do Your Best. When I first saw this list and before I read the book, I had a picture of what “Best” was. At the time, I was working for Google and was adopting a phenomenal hiring philosophy and executing the associated hiring process. We were highly focused and motivated to hire the great talent, inclusive of: Role Related Knowledge, General Cognitive Ability, Leadership and Googlyness. Now, ‘the best’ in this context simply didn’t mean the smartest. People could be brilliant but if they didn’t have leadership capabilities and Googlyness, then well… they didn’t get hired. And, having high scores on role related knowledge didn’t exactly translate to being able to apply that knowledge successfully in Google’s culture. You get the gist*. Most of all, I loved hiring great talent and building phenomenal teams. Shout out to: JAMR, RAMP-N, Rockin’ Ninjas and sister-team: Team Woot. As a result, I saw firsthand great examples of ‘the best’ doing their best. And yet, there were days where… well, I wasn’t at my best because my mindset about “Best” was a factor.
A Different Perspective of Best
Then, I read the book! I read a powerful two sentences: “ But keep in mind, that your best is NEVER going to be the same from one MOMENT to the next. Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and at other times will not be as good.” The skies parted and the angels sang! As a result, I felt liberated and relieved. It also underscored just how harsh I was being toward myself. I was expecting the highest quality of ‘best’ all the time. Insane. So, who does that? Apparently, more people than I realized. When I started talking about “Doing Your Best”, quite a few had the same mindset that I did. I’d love to hear from you. Please comment on what “Doing Your Best” means to you? Does your mindset on “Doing Your Best” consequently impact how you show up on a day to day basis?
Secondly, the other takeaway that resonated with me was the harder you try to do more than your best, you waste energy and in the end your best will not be enough. When you overdo, you work against yourself and the longer it takes to reach your goal. Conversely, if you do less than your best, you start the downward spiral of self-judgement, guilt, frustration and regret. Maybe, you have experienced this?
Tips for “Doing Your Best”:
- Adopt some mindfulness practices to help you have present moment awareness. Here’s some suggestions with a helpful infographic: Mindfulness Tips
- Pay attention to your thoughts. Are you starting the downward spiral of self-judgement? Are there limiting beliefs that you repeat as a mantra, like “I’m not good enough”?
- Take an honest look at your day: Are you over-subscribing your day with activities that you ‘should’ be doing? How much do you multi-task?
- Start a practice of reviewing your day, specifically looking for what was positive and what you did well.
In summary, regardless of quality, keep doing your best, no more and no less than your best.
Are you ready to get started? Press for success: HERE
I hope you found the reflections on “Doing Your Best” helpful. As adults we spend the bulk of our waking hours ‘at work’. We only have a finite amount of time on this planet, and you can choose how to spend that time. I wish you much success on your career quest. Yours in balance, learning, growth and harmony. – Melissa DeLuca, CEO
*For more insights on Google’s hiring practice: Work Rules by Laszlo Bock, former SVP of People Operations.
Totally agree…..these practices can keep us all calm and peaceful. That is what life should be.