Be wary of "Best"

None of us are the best at anything.

It’s instant: whenever someone says “best”, the contrarian side of me reacts. “Best” for who? Best where? Best ever?

Best is a dumb word.

I write for a living. I might do a lot of other things to scrape together this career but it all comes down to writing: for myself and to get the words of others out there. Whether it’s clear communication for an email, words on a website, or putting heartfelt videos out to show emotional perspectives, words are the core of it all.

I don’t use “best”

In the world right now, we’re at a sink-or-swim moment. People are either covered up with work to the point of burnout or one day away from closing up shop. There doesn’t seem to be much in-between.

When emotions run high and desperation seeps in, people start to think in binaries. “Best” and “worst” come out when what we truly need is nuance.

Quit saying “best”

None of us are the best. I’m certainly not the pinnacle of anything that I do. If we were truly at the top heap of that thought-terminating word, we wouldn’t even be in the places we are today.

I know a few people who probably are the best at what they do. To get there, they had to carve out a niche within a niche. They were the “best” one time, in one moment, or they truly are the most studied in a focused field. But if you talk to the greats, they’ll all point to a dozen people who they think are better.

Every mountaintop has been climbed thousands of times. That doesn’t diminish your effort to do it.

The rest of us? Not the best.

If I was the best storyteller, web designer, business owner, or marketer? I wouldn’t be around and available to serve the people I care about. Am I fairly good and studied at it? Yes. Am I among the better people regionally? I think so. But ‘best’ isn’t coming out of my mouth.

Best run club founder? Of course not. If I was even among the top 100, Nike would have called and I’d live near Beaverton, Oregon. (I’m willing, Nike.)

Best fiancé/dog dad/photographer/community builder/writer/gardener? Not a chance in hell at any of those. Doesn’t mean I can’t work to be a little bit better every day.

The truth is, none of us are the best at anything.

It’s a worthless pursuit to even try. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the one to show up and be there when people ask. It doesn’t mean your business can’t be the place people choose to work with that day. It certainly doesn’t mean you can’t win simply because you aren’t the best.

Abandon it and tell a real story instead.

We use that bad word all the time and I’m sorry to say: none of us are the best at anything.

Best restaurant? Or even simply best burgers in your small town? For who, what day? What if they want outdoor seating or a vegan option? What if they just like the memories they made at the place down the road?

Don’t lean on best, tell me that you pride yourself on making others feel welcome. Tell me about the farmer you buy your beef from—she’s not the best either but it means a lot that you’re buying local!

Your kid’s the best on the team? What happens when they aren’t anymore? They might win a lot but are they the best teammate? Mentor to younger athletes? We can’t all be everything but we can work on each part.

Trees don’t stop just because they’re standing among millions just like them.

Let’s focus on being what our community needs each day.

I’ll never worry about being the top of anything that I do. But I promise, I’ll show up more. I’ll be more consistent. I’ll outlast and out-help.

There are billions upon billions of people on this planet. The chances of any one of us being the top at anything for more than a fleeting moment is nonexistent. Don’t even try and lean on it. Just focus on being what you need for yourself. After that, focus on how you might help others. It’s that easy.

If you’re reading this, by now you’ve figured out that I don’t think you’re the best at anything. But I know you’re really good at a lot of things and you’re important to yourself and those around you. If you aren’t sure why that is, reach out and I can tell you. I’m happy to be your hype squad.