Why you should always strive for your best

dress | Dune London bag (newer version and )
|  heels (on sale!) | Juicy Couture watch (similar )
|  lipstick |  sunglasses

Whenever you put your mind to something, I am a firm believer that you should throw yourself into doing whatever it is to the very best of your ability.  Today I want to share with you why you should always strive for your best and how you can achieve such great personal rewards when you do just that.  

At the beginning of the year we all enjoy planning how we are going to do things differently in the year ahead.  I think most people, after some reflection over the Christmas holidays, are able to see what is important to them with clarity.  After the holidays and the resolutions have been made, however, most of us slip back into the day-to-day humdrum of life and all the stresses involved with it.  Somehow, by March, all the revelations we made at the start of the year have all been forgotten.

Personally, I like to keep a list of goals that I set at the beginning of the year and revisit this list as often as possible to plan how I am going to incorporate changes into my life to ensure that I reach these goals.  Sometimes, through trial and error, the goals I set in January need to be edited for whatever challenges may have presented themselves.  Revisiting and re-evaluating this list, however, ensures that I can strive for my best and stay motivated towards reaching my end goal. 

It is important to always strive for your best because no one wants to be mediocre.  If you have been given the opportunity of going to tertiary education, this is not something you should ever take for granted.  Instead, you should utilise the opportunity to arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can possibly absorb.  Education is so important so hold on to it with both hands and prepare as much as you possibly can for each and every test or research paper.  At the end of the day, you have been given the opportunity to educate yourself, don’t walk away from the experience with only a handful of the knowledge you could have harvested.  It’s unbelievably rewarding to know that you gave of your best, you were fully prepared for a test and you are walking away with the knowledge you’ve gained for the rest of your life.  

If you committed yourself to going to the gym at the beginning of the year and haven’t been going, ask yourself why?  Try and incorporate it into your week with a reasonable schedule taking into account your available time.  For me, mornings are definitely best.  I might hate walking up earlier than I needed to but, wow, the feeling of achievement after I’ve reached my 5km goal before 8am is something that (literally) puts a spring in my step.  It also sets a precedent for the rest of your day.  If you’ve achieved a goal first thing in the morning, you will be hungry for achieving in all other aspects of your life for the rest of the day.  It’s unbelievable how an early-morning workout can have you feeling so empowered.

What other goals did you set for the year?  Saving for a mortgage/new car/holiday?  How is that going?  Do you need to re-evaluate how you’ve been doing in those aspects?  What about that miscellaneous list of goals you hoped to achieve this year?  One of mine was that I needed to read 10 books in 2017.  I’ve been sticking to this goal and I find myself looking forward to that half an hour before bed where I can pack everything away and enjoy a good book.  Not only am I working towards my goal but I’m taking such pleasure from doing so too. 

It is important to always strive for your best for no reason other than for your own happiness.  Accomplishing your goals, no matter how big or small, is of no importance to anyone other than you.  Once you’ve realised that you can reach your goals you will want to set more and start progressing and moving forward to others.  This will, naturally, propel you forward in your career but it will also give you confidence and self-satisfaction that I think is the most important reason for always striving for your best.