Go All Out

On the days we are tired and weary, we want to curl up into a ball and fade away from existence.

But while we are still on this rock, we must push ourselves to the limit in each thing we do.

You must give it your best shot. When you do, you achieve several things.

Your Best Shot Means Excellence

It is holding to a highest standard. When you decide you will give it your best shot, it is top-dollar, pristine quality, and number 1.

While your best shot could be a lower standard to a rival or friend, if he or she knows you’ve done the best you can, that person can’t say anything of your work. If they do, they have lowered themselves to a level lower than you have attained.

Your Best Shot Means It Is worthy

Remember that your best shot is meaningful. It contains merit and value. It means you’ve done all you can in that situation.

You must acknowledge it as your best and you must think how you can do better in the future.

Your Best Shot is respecting your task or opponent

Your best shot is telling whatever or whoever, “I want to you give you everything I can and nothing else.”

If you are a master at a skill and you create something that is way better than a newcomer but doesn’t reach your pinnacle, you better hope that person doesn’t know that. Sure, the person could still be in awe of your sub-par work, but it can backfire in the sense that person feels your lack of professionalism.

You never want to show a lack of professionalism.

I don’t care if you are best at what you do, you do the best you can in that situation.

Your Best Shot Means Leaving Nothing In the Tank

The term, “run to collapse” means all in. You may not finish the race, but there’s no denying you give it your best shot.

Does that mean your best shot equals exhaustion or possibly death? It can if the task demands it. As a professional, if we know that the work calls us to put our lives at stake, we will do it without hesitation. At the top of my head, firemen do this regularly.

In the movie Gattaca, Vincent Freeman was in a space program where only the best of the best can enter. The problem is that his genetics were flawed. At best he could live only about 30 years. But he gets his chance with help from a person that had perfect genes but was crippled below the torso due to a car accident.

So Vincent gets found out by his younger brother Anton. Anton demands that his brother withdraw from the Gattaca program or else. They settle this matter with a swim.

In this final swim, Vincent wins a second time. How did he do this? He didn’t save any strength to return safely to shore.

Yes, your best shot could be scary. But if you knew the stakes, would you have it any other way?

Your Best Shot Can Be Enough to Win

We think all the effort we make is in vain. This is especially so when we are beginners and newbies.

I’ve seen the Toronto Raptors being potentially good and then going to crap because top players feel no future in the team.

It took a coach and a player that wanted to take their best shot. Yes, I’m talking about coach Dwayne Casey and DeMar DeRozan. I remember coach Casey talking about “pound the rock”. I remember DeMar talking about giving everything he has and showing he can do more each year.

When Chris Bosh left Toronto, I remember DeMar saying this:

Don't worry, I got us…

— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) June 29, 2010

And that’s giving your best damn shot.

Sure, it could’ve ended badly. DeMar could’ve been traded or left town. But I remember this tweet and it showed determination for his team and indignation of other teams.

The right pieces came through drafts and trades. Some were intentional and some were happy accidents that fell through.

Things clicked. The Raptors got better and better.

This year, they’re on a roll. It’s awesome to see this and I pray it goes on.

Conclusion

The way I see it, I am reminded to give it my all, whenever I can. I mean, why think otherwise? If everyone on this planet did the best he or she did, we would live a lot happier lives. We would live our dreams. We would be exploring new worlds outer space.

I hope that you decide today to give it your best shot in all the things you do. Life changes for the better.