Do Your Best and Leave the Rest

The phrase “do your best and leave the rest” was first introduced to me in the Sunday school I grew up in, Chinmaya Balavihar. This school was a spiritual institution that shared important values that set us up for success, such as integrity, nobility, and self-awareness. While I was taught this at such a young age, it follows me into my adult year and has taught me quite a lot.

While the phrase above sounds so simple to follow, it can be very difficult to practically implement if we don’t know what it truly means to “do your best”. I believe that doing our best doesn’t necessarily mean doing something for a specific result. For instance, merely working longer, harder hours at a job you hate might give you the amount of money you want to see in your bank account. However, it might leave you feeling a lot emptier than before.

In my opinion, doing your best requires you to genuinely follow your passion and live by what you deeply value. Not only does this foster authenticity, but increase your satisfaction in life. I find myself quite often reassessing whether I’m doing something for a result or pure enjoyment. Usually, when I do my tasks for the latter reason, I’m actually doing my best without even realizing it. It’s a flow that I love.

The positive results and success comes so naturally after because I was so deeply invested in the work I was doing that I wasn’t even worried about what I would gain from it. From this perspective, being a lifelong learner is something I find a high in. My ideas gush into the world and manifest into beautiful projects, hobbies, and creative outlets.

I challenge you to question yourself the next time you are working. Are you working for the promised outcome or out of your own pleasure? Hopefully, this might lead you to uncover your hidden desires to pursue what you love and, hence, love your life a little more.