Being the Best Is Not Good Enough

Reasons Why Being the Best Is Not Good Enough

Not the way of the best.

If you set out to be the best, you may end up among the top performers - but believe me, you most likely would not be the best. By the simple logic that "a man's reach should exceed his grasp" those who end up as the best often set out with a different objective. They hardly tell you that their aim was to be the ultimate "whatever" - and they prepared themselves accordingly. They only found themselves being labelled the best at the finish line when all their rivals were lost in the dust.
Change is unchanging.
All things in life change but change itself. A static condition does not exist in the universe - all things are becoming something else. When a condition appears static it is only because its rate of progress is equal to its rate of deterioration. So if you stop aspiring and relax because you are the best, you actually start regressing and would be in for a rude surprise at your next outing - when you may not even be among the top performers.
Pulling your punches.
If you think that being the best is good enough you may tend to tailor your efforts towards being just a little better than your perceived rivals. You may adopt a strategy similar to theirs rather than tasking your creativity to come up with something innovative. So even if you do come out as the best, you would not have stretched to bring out your best. Personal growth only occurs when we stretch our limits.
Your gift to the world.
A graver consequence of "pulling your punches" because you think being the best is good enough is that you may actually deprive the world of your own peculiar gift. Who knows, you may be a peculiar genius entrusted by Providence with what it takes to make scientific, artistic, cultural or other breakthroughs that would alleviate human suffering and increase human enjoyment of life. If you are content to be merely the best (rather than the ultimate) you would have frustrated the divine plan - and should be accountable!
Just imagine if Sir Roger Bannister had been content to be the best runner of his day rather than the one who shattered the myth that no man could run a mile in less than four minutes. Wasn't that a victory for the human spirit and an inspiration to many?
Paradigm shifts.
It is human to strive to overcome obstacles to our happiness and liberty. History has shown that often a so-called paradigm shift (i.e. a profound change in our model or perception of reality) is necessary to surmount major limitations. Thinking that the best available is good enough hardly sustains the kind of curiosity, research and courtship of serendipity that has achieved and continues to beget the fuller, happier life for you and me.
Victim of history.
What we term "best" may actually be relative to our knowledge of history and current affairs. You may think you are the best because you are only aware of events in your locality or generation. A study of the history of other nations or other periods may reveal that you are far from being the best. So if you would find yourself any small place in history you had better go for broke, rather than rest on a mistaken confidence of prowess, ha ha.
Use it or lose it.
One last thought that gives the lie to the belief that being the best is good enough is the natural law that what is not exercised atrophies. Unless we constantly aspire to better ourselves mentally, materially and morally we would slowly but inevitable slide into mediocrity and ineptitude.
It is said that the greatest reward of service is the ability to render more service. Therefore, it is our privilege to glorify the creator and improve our world by making the most of our greatest gift of life. For to whom much has been given - from him much is expected.

What is the ultimate approach to excellence? Of what relevance is spirituality in your quest for fulfillment and bliss?

''Whatever a man confesses in faith, he shall recieve'' Prophet T.B Joshua.

''Whatever that happens in a persons life is according to the divine will of God''

SELF DEFENCE IS GOOD.

These days people are defenseless. Learning self defense is already a need as of this point. Since violence is rapidly increasing and is very rampant in any parts of the world, it is a must for us to learn different self defense skill and techniques in order for us to fight back in case we get attacked by criminals. But not all states are allowed to use special stunning devices like laser and the stun gun as a means for self defense. There is a solution to that. There are many ways wherein we can defend ourselves and that is through brief self defense training. Self defense training is already becoming very popular to both sexes. Not only does it give us ideas and skills on self defense techniques, but it also allows us to maintain a physically fit body. The mind is also being exercised here as well. Your cognitive skills are being put to test so you will know what you need to do when faced in life threatening situation. Self discipline is also imparted as you go on with your training. It is a very important value that needs to be enriched that way you can focus and concentrate with what you are doing. The right time to learn self defense is now. Do not wait for the time when you will regret why you did not take self defense classes after you were being attacked. There are so many different forms of self defense that you can train to and so many skilled instructors that will guide and train you with the right self defense techniques. If you want to protect yourself, your little children and your loved ones, better spare some time and enrol in self defense courses. You can choose among the many forms of martial arts. It might be very rough for you during your first few trainings but in time, you will enjoy every moment of it and find the training fun and worthwhile. Even the kids will learn to love the training. Enrolling the little ones in martial arts will make them understand what self defense is all about. They can nourish the skills that they have learned and they can carry it as they grow up. You do not necessarily need to have a black belt just so you can defend yourself. As long as you have the right foundation, the skills and the values, you can already survive when you are being attacked by criminals. And you really need not to beat the attacker to the extent that it will lead to his death. Your main goal is to just escape from the attacker as much as possible. When you feel the attacker is already in agony that is the time that you run and call for help. Otherwise if you will beat him to death, you will end up in jail. If you are interested in learning self defense, you can check out the different martial arts schools nearest you or perhaps surf the internet that way you can canvass on which school offers the best packages and is the least expensive. There are maybe some great packages if you want to enrol the whole family in self defense classes. We should act now and never waste time. The time spent for the training is just one-fourth from the time you have from your work. It is for your own benefit and for the benefit of your loved ones as well. If you are concerned about the safety and protection of your family, then think about it and make a move.

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BODY LANGUAGE FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Is she interested? If you want to meet women I suggest you first make sure you have mastered your body language and learned the ability to interpret a woman's body language. Before any conversation takes place, a woman has already formed an opinion of you. Body language is a subtle, subconscious language that tells people reams about you. When it comes to your own body language, the first thing to work on is your posture. Good posture immediately conveys confidence and self esteem. Pay attention to your body and what it is doing. Ask a friend to tell you when you are doing a nervous habit so you can learn to stop it. Make sure you make eye contact with everyone you speak to. There are many books about body language and I suggest you pick one up and study it, take notes and memorize what it says. In my favorite book of this genre, The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease, I learned some ways to tell a woman is interested. According to this book there are subtle signals and gestures a woman has to show she is interested. Here are a few of them: Tossing or flipping her hair is one of the first signs a woman gives that she is interested. The woman will toss or flip her hair off her shoulders or away from the face and even women with short hair do this. An open, pouting mouth and wet lips -- This is a primitive sign that she is interested in you. Touching herself -- if she is touching her legs, throat or neck this could be a sign she is interested. In addition, if she has a limp wrist, this expresses interest. Fondling something cylindrical something like a cigarette, stem of a wineglass, a finger, a straw, is a sign that she views you as more than just a friend. Exposing the underside of her wrists and palms Doing this is a subconscious sign of interest. A sideways glance this is usually done over a raised shoulder. Typically when a woman is expressing interest in you the gaze is only held for a few seconds before she looks away. Rolling hips when walking this is a primitive signal emphasizing the difference between the genders. Women have childbearing hips, something primitive men looked for in a partner. A tilted pelvis again another primitive signal showing she is capable of child bearing. As you see, many of these are instinctive signals women and men send back and forth without the conscious mind even realizing it. Most of them developed in order to keep the human species alive. Handbag location if a woman keeps or moves her handbag close to the man this is a sign she is attracted because it is almost an extension of her body. She may even caress the bag or ask him to pass it to her, a sign of intimacy. Knee direction if one leg is tucked under, the knee may point to a man she is interested in. Shoe Dangle her shoe off her toes or putting a foot in and out of the shoe. Twining the legs When a woman has one thigh pressed tightly on the other, it makes the legs look more attractive but is also an indicator of interest. In addition, crossing and uncrossing legs is another sign. As mentioned above, a lot of these signals -- obviously not all -- are primitive ones that may have even been developed before speech to show interest in another person. It can save you a lot of time and energy to be aware of them. Good luck.

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BODY LANGUAGE FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

In a series of articles, we shall look in the true meaning of body language and their relative importance when engaged in discussion for effective communication. There is no mistaking a distinct signal that comes from deliberate body language. Body language speaks the truth and sends an unmistakable message without the need to utter any comment. From the day we are born body language plays a significant factor in communicating our most basic requirements. A one month old baby instinctively knows that the way to its Mothers heart is through her eyes. The baby also knows that when it is hungry, crying is used as communicating this message. While we can control our body language to a fair degree, one thing we can't control is our pupils - yes, one of the most subtle signs that someone is attracted to you is in the eyes. Nancy Fagin writes on the BBW Magazine website: "One of the obvious signs of physiological attraction is enlarged pupils. There are two main factors that cause our pupils to dilate, attraction and dim light. To confirm whether you think someone's eyes are dilating, try and do some subtle comparisons with others in the same room." Before all the modern day conveniences of communicating such as social networking, Twitter and online dating sites, real time face to face forms of expressions were all we knew. 30 years ago, the most common way to determine mutual attraction was partly due to body language, nowadays, dating and meeting new people has become all too easy thanks to technology. Body language certainly goes beyond the eyes for you to be able determine attraction. Who would have ever thought that feet would play such a role in the land of love and romance! Feet stare too so if the person you are talking to is standing with their feet aiming at you, they have you well and truly in their sights. Regardless of the body part, every part of our body will subconsciously send out a signal that will often determine whether we are attracted to someone or not. If something points at another person, whether it be our legs or feet, there is a certain level of interest being assessed. While body language comes in subtle variations, there are also obvious signs that cannot be mistaken. If you are trying to send a distinct message to someone but you're not quite ready to come out and say it, try talking to them facing your whole body towards them with your shoulders lining the other person up. If you notice they are reciprocating the body language then it's as good as them telling you out loud "c'mon, hurry up and ask me out." When someone feels compelled to subconsciously copy our body language it's a sure bet that they are feeling very comfortable around you and do in fact like you. This tell tale sign of mirroring someone can be used as a positive signal both in romance and in the business world. Touch is another big cue. If the person finds any excuse to touch you (like removing a bit of lint from your clothing) this is a sign that they're keen. Touch is used by singles in the flirting stakes to communicate interest. So learn to read the signs...from top to toe, our bodies always tell the truth.

TURN YOUR NEGATIVITY TO POSITIVITY

Many people find that clearing their mind can be a real challenge. This is understandable if we consider that the mind hates to be idle and will always find something to think about. That is the main reason why clearing your mind of one kind of thought, such as negative ones, requires that you fill your brain with another kind of thought, like positive ones.

Many times if you are having negative thoughts, you begin to feel negative, then it becomes harder to change the kind of thoughts you have because the negative thoughts are actually giving you a negative attitude. What happens as the negative feelings grow is that you become absorbed in feeling negative, soon as your attitude changes, your mind becomes filled with sad or depressing thoughts. It is a back and forth situation because your mind is in tune with your feelings and your feelings affect your thoughts. But, because of this close connection between your mind and your feelings, you can focus on controlling your thoughts which in turn makes it possible to change your feelings with your thoughts.

When it comes to clearing your mind of negative thoughts, first thing it requires is that you to change your feelings and that means a change in attitude. You can get this process started by thinking about those times in your life when you were happy. You can also think of people who make you happy, things that make you happy, like a big screen TV, or a terrific purse that goes with everything. As you begin to think of these pleasant things you will find a wonderful thing will begin to happen, you will notice your mind starting to fill with more pleasant thoughts.

As you get more and more into the pleasant thoughts you are thinking, you will find that your mind starts filling with pleasant thoughts almost automatically, while pushing all those negative thoughts out of your mind. The more pleasant thoughts you think the less room there is for negative thoughts. The more pleasant thoughts you experience also means the more your feelings will change and become more positive. Once you are consumed by positive feelings it becomes difficult to even think about negative thoughts.

Another nice side effect to developing a positive attitude is that others usually notice the change in attitude and join in with positive thoughts of their own. The only thing that can cause concern in this method is the length of time you have been experiencing negative thoughts. If you have been filled with negative thoughts for some time they start to seem normal. In fact the negative thoughts become even comforting. That means you will feel uncomfortable trying to think positive so much that you will continue to think negative thoughts from time to time. But you must fight off the temptation to think negative and revert to what feels comfortable.

Try to find others who can also thing positive thoughts to keep you working on positive thoughts as much as possible. Once you get used to thinking positive thoughts it becomes easier. You just need to get past feeling uncomfortable with positive thoughts initially. The positive thoughts you must force yourself to think will seem unnatural, possibly even silly. But that;s because you are more comfortable with those negative thoughts you think all the time. Accept that they feel uncomfortable but keep working to have as many positive thoughts as you can.

There may be setbacks. When things go wrong, that is when it is the hardest to keep those positive thoughts. But if you can get yourself thinking positive thoughts, even when small things go wrong you will eventually find that you have fewer and fewer negative thoughts. It does take work, it does feel unnatural at first, it can even feel silly. But the benefits will make it all worth while in the end. The only thing keeping negative thoughts in your head is you. It is simply the fact that you feel more comfortable thinking those negative thoughts.

It's kind of like starting a new path, it's hard, you have to hold down the blades of grass at first but eventually the path becomes easy to see and it's harder to take a different path.