I’m a huge Foo Fighters fan. Have a signed picture of the guys on my family room wall, and can’t wait for their upcoming concert at the old Great Western Forum later this week here in Los Angeles. Well, I was listening to one of my favorite songs “Best of You” recently, and I got inspired. “Is someone getting the best the best the best the best of you?” sings Dave Grohl.
Life is just too short to hold back. OK sure, there are times when you need to pace yourself or keep a little something saved up in your reserve tank. You can’t go all out and run marathon after marathon forever. No matter how fit you are, that’s not healthy or sustainable! In general though, you need to give it all you’ve got while you still can. If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that there are no guarantees in life and there’s really no way of knowing what tomorrow may bring. For the most part, I like to think that I will wake up tomorrow morning and the sun will rise again. If I hold back from doing something today with the belief “there’s always tomorrow” though, that’s just crazy! I miss out on the opportunity in the moment by not taking advantage of the situation, and by waiting I may never get that chance again.
For almost 25 years now, I’ve held on to the gift that one of my camp counselors at Raquette Lake shared with me one summer before the most important event in the camp’s history – the end-of-summer Color War 8-man 1-mile canoe race. “What I had I gave. What I kept was lost forever.” That has been a regular mantra of mine ever since the burn kicked in at the ½-mile mark, and those other 7 guys in the canoe and I fought through it to come from behind and win the race. I offer it to you now to serve as your source of inspiration and guiding light too. If you’re holding something back at work, ask yourself why. And if someone’s not getting the best the best the best the best of you, again ask yourself why.
Be bold. Be powerful. Set your goals high, and don’t give up until you achieve them. Start giving it your best, and you’ll be amazed at the tremendous results you can produce. Hold back and don’t give it your all… Well, you know what results that’ll produce!
