The last of The Four Agreements in the book by the same title tells us that it’s a good idea to always do our best. Yet it also cautions that this is not a place to set yourself up for self-judgement resulting in feeling guilty or not good enough. Indeed to do your best is to do your best in that moment. It is not doing your best to tell yourself off and say you’re bad. It can be doing your best though to review the situations of the day and see what you take forward is a success and what you would do differently if you had the chance over again.
This second point of reviewing ‘what you would do differently’ is actually a way of fulfilling the first agreement, being impeccable with your word. If we think back to the first agreement being impeccable meant to use words to yourself that are encouraging and useful. It was about not putting yourself down. Knowing that the person you will speak most to in your whole life is most likely the words in your own head to yourself it is vital here that we apply the agreement of saying words that I’m moving you in the direction you want to go. Putting oneself down takes away your energy and drive. Reflecting and choosing how to do differently however is a step in canning wisdom.
So what exactly is doing our best?
A couple of considerations for you to run past your mind in answering this question yourself ah:
- Did you have something specifically planned to be do, or think?
Having an idea open end result or an outcome for a future improved version of self takes us a lot closer to that outcome is reality. Hence part of doing our best can be to put awareness to that which we want to be do or have.
- Doing our best can also be enhanced by knowing the particular principles we have for ourself and how we act think and do. We may have principles of kindness we may have principles of setting clear boundaries we have made her principles around communication styles days would vary for each person based on culture, life experience, but in essence they don’t alter that much day-to-day these are guiding principles so that when one is in a quandary about what to do they can go back to their principles. So questioning did we do our best can be assisted by seeing if our thoughts, feelings and outcomes in alignment with our principles.
- For times when one has neither a plan nor a principle we can still know we’re doing our best as our response to whatever arises could result in the greater good for the greater number. Or indeed when something doesn’t go to what seems at the time to be an ideal outcome doing our best can be what tools we draw upon to move through a situation or circumstance that is less than consciously desirable.
Another way to look to see if we did our best is the ask how many areas of life did we touch with our choices did something just benefit ourselves, or was it ourselves and our family group, was it beneficial to the greater population of people whether that be a group that one is in e.g. a sporting or work group etc did it extend further to a greater view of humanity including people that one may not know, to the benefit the life forms of plants animals and those of the physical structures of rocks water clean air.
If we have a look at our actions thoughts and outcomes why do that now self we have another way of seeing did we do our best how many areas of life were enhanced by our thoughts actions plans. Knowing that this can be enhanced with creating time and space thought and feeling of these elements of our life and knowing that each heartbeat we have sends electrical impulses that reach beyond our physical body into the space around us and the space into that space and then reach the whole of the world. With this we know doing our best can be to be conscious of a heartbeat and the emanation of that for all good things.
Geraldene Dalby-Ball
Elaway De’Ye’Ng Li’ta