Success Without Whining About Doing Your Best
In the film 'The Rock', Sean Connery takes a dim view of those who claim to be 'doing their best'. He comments grimly: 'Losers always whine about doing their best.' Is he right? This article tries to give an answer.
In the film, two men are set the near impossible task of disabling rocket bombs armed with nerve gas on the island of Alcatraz which has been occupied by ace rebel special forces. The lives of the five million citizens of San Francisco depend on their success. Tension is high throughout.
Sean Connery is one of the two men. He is a tough ex con. He asks his inexperienced partner, a mild mannered chemist, acted by Nicholas Cage:
"Are you ready for this?"
His partner bravely replies: " I'll do my best."
Sean Connery immediately corrects him:
"Losers always whine about doing their best."
Is Sean Connery right? Yes and No
Yes, people sometimes say they will do their best but really mean:
"I will make some effort but I don't really expect to succeed."
They use doing their best as an excuse for failure and are not in fact planning on really doing their best.
On the other hand some people mean they really will do their best whatever happens.
Such people do not always win but they often do win because so few others do their best. Those who do their best soon stand out from the majority who are content with mediocrity.
Also, doing your best allows you not to worry about the results and frees you up to focus on the task in hand. Come hell or high water, you will do your best and leave the results up to the universe. More often than not you will win.
Just saying "I will win", instead of "I will do my best", doesn't guarantee you will win especially if the other guy says he will win.
In the recent fight between world heavyweight champion Valeri Klitscho and the British Challenger Danny Williams both men said they would win.
However, Danny did acknowledge that both he and his competitor believed that they would win and that this would make for a great fight. Danny also had the grace to say he would only win 'God willing'.
In the end Danny put up a very brave fight and lasted into the eighth round but Klitschko won and retained his world championship belt.
In my opinion there is a lot to be said for really doing your best. The result is in the lap of the gods and is not necessarily under your control. But, if you do your best you may well win. Either way you are not a loser.
If you want to see who won in the film 'The Rock', get the video or DVD and watch it!
About the author
John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.
The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, Pictures And Quotes?Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"
The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php
The book uses acronyms, stories, pictures and quotations to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.
Ezine editors / Site owners
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include this resource box.
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
What if You Fed Your Mind as Often as You Feed Your Stomach?
Many people consider reading books a waste of time. It is just so easy to switch on the television, put the brain into neutral and accept everything that is shown to you.
The #1 Way to Control Your Mind for Success!
People say: "One can't help one's thoughts." But one can.
The Major Key to Your Better Future is You
Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably will not happen without personal growth.
Dont Just Read About It; Be About It!
Far too many of us struggle through life despite more Bibles, personal development, and self-help books being read now, than during any other time in history.Why is that?Whatever it is that we are in search of, cannot be found among the pages of any book, but rather, deep inside ourselves.
Great Century, by George
George Burns' career could have ended as early as 1958, when his wife Gracie Allen retired from Show business. Burns continued the show after Allen retired, but the show was cancelled after one season.
Chinese Gooseberries and Oprah?
Oprah and Harpo Productions, consistently reap awe-inspiring progress and record-breaking profits even after 25 years. While Oprah consistently soars with stellar growth, the rest of the industry seems to stumble, tumble or even disappear.
Success Lessons From Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is an interesting Western that I have watched many times. It is full of success lessons for the discerning!A Missouri farmer joins a Confederate guerilla unit to avenge the murder of his wife and son and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who killed his family.
Life 101 For the Young and Young at Heart! Book Excerpt
Lesson 1.
Category
Well Being
Plan to do this.
"Defining and Feeling Successful" (However you define success)
Formula For SuccessThe winners in this life know the rules of the game and have a plan. Whether you're looking to heal a relationship, get a new job, lose weight or find inner peace, consider these characteristics, which are common to people who succeed.
Healthy Wealthy Wise: Boost Your Productivity
We all strive for a 'balanced life'. Although we may not all be able to achieve the myth of balance, we can focus on three areas of our life to help us be more productive in other areas of our life.
Is This Your Time To Take Action?
If you are sick and tired of the dreaming phase of things and are ready to take some action and get results..
Thoughts on Successful People
I was hired to do some training for a sales team from one of the largest companies in America. There were 16 people on this team.
The First And Inevitable Step To Success
Many people ask me how they can be more successful.The first question I ask is, "What do you want?"Usually the answer is vague.
Reach Your Goals - A Higher Purpose
Find a higher reason to reach your goal than just the goal itself
I need to be mentally sharp, physically and emotionally alert, and spiritually on top of things in order to do a good job for my clients. Knowing that none of these are possible without good physical fitness, when I feel like skipping or cutting a workout short, I repeat my mantra "Strong body, strong mind, strong spirit," and picture all of the people counting on me to help them.
The S.W.P.D. Recipe for Success
A wonderful quote by author and scholar William A. Ward provides a time-tested recipe for success.
Success Showdowns
I confess, I love westerns. There is nothing like those "Showdown" scenes
where the film is shot from down low and you see those boots moving slowly,
step by step until they come to a stop just 100 feet from the other guy.
The Secret of Lasting Personal Change
Why do diets end up in gained weight? Why do some people fail again and again at business? And why do other people fall into one bad relationship after another -- in spite of their honest desire for a "good" relationship?Obviously no one *wishes* to fail in their personal or business life. Yet this is an all-too-common problemWe WANT to be in control! We WANT to make our lives a better place to be! We WANT success! We WANT a sense of security! We WANT a good relationship with ourselves and others.
Success; So Close, Yet So Far Away!
Have you ever had this feeling? You're standing in front of a huge safe; in this safe, is all the wealth, happiness, success, love and health the world could offer. This safe has a combination lock on it and you know all the numbers to open it, except one.
Think of Wealth and Become Wealthy
Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract circumstances and opportunities. We litterally attract the life we want with our powerful magnetic thought !You might say :" But Michel i have been thinking about wealth all my life and the only thing i got is 5 cents in the banks !"Do you think about wealth or the lack of wealth ? This is different my friend.
Candleburning 101
One of the questions that I am asked most often on the realm, is colour of candle should I burn for what purpose? And when ..
|