ValueSpeak
A Weekly Column
By Joseph Walker
HARNESSING THE BEST THAT IS WITHIN YOU
It wasn’t that my first semester at college was a
total waste academically. My roommate,
Dave, and I learned a lot together.
For
example, we learned that if you’re really careful you can squirt an entire can
of shaving cream into a large balloon, and that the content of one such
balloon, accurately dropped from a fifth-floor dorm window, is sufficient to
completely cover a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle.
We also learned that peas have the perfect density
for long-distance bombing in a cafeteria food fight – and that applesauce
doesn’t.
And we
learned that it takes about two seconds for heavily amplified sound to travel a
quarter of a mile. We conducted this
experiment ourselves, using Dave’s stereo, four speakers facing out of our dorm
window and the long scream from “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by the Who. Two seconds after we cranked it up, heads
started turning on campus. We even made
the university newspaper the next day under the headline: “Mystery Sound
Baffles Security.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t take physics that semester
so I didn’t get any credit for all of that exhaustive research. This is consistent because I didn’t get much
credit in any of the classes I actually took, either. Not that I tried to fail. I studied – when there wasn’t anything else
to do.
When I showed Dad my first collegiate grade report I expected a flash of anger and
frustration. He was, after all, footing
the bill for what appeared to be a fairly bogus educational adventure. He was entitled to a little righteous
indignation.
“Dad, let me explain . . .” I said, opening a
speech I had been practicing for days.
He held up a hand to stop me. “You don’t need to explain anything,” he
said, calmly. “I know that the first
semester of college can be tough.” He
glanced at the report again. “I just
wasn’t expecting it to be THIS tough.”
I could see the disappointment in his eyes – eyes
that had always been filled with pride at every high school accomplishment and
success.
“The thing that concerns me,” he continued, “is
that you didn’t even try. These grades
don’t tell me that you’re not smart enough for college. They tell me that you didn’t put forth any
effort. And if you don’t learn anything
else from your first semester, you’re going to learn that if a thing is worth
doing at all, it’s worth giving it your best effort. Anything less than that is
a waste of time, money and talent.”
With that he tore my grade report in half and
tossed it in the garbage. He started to
leave, then he stopped and turned to face me once
more. “You’ve got one semester to see what you can do when you try,” he
said. “Aren’t you curious to know how
far your best effort can take you?”
As it turned out, I was. I didn’t become a Rhodes Scholar or anything,
but I tried harder and my grades improved.
And every once in a while I attacked a project with my whole heart and
soul and I found out that my best effort was . . . well . . . pretty good, if I
do say so myself.
Of course, I’m no different than most folks that
way. Many of us are content to cruise
through life, expending only as much energy as required to keep ourselves
afloat. Only occasionally, when
circumstances thrust themselves upon us, do we achieve the level of excellence
of which we are capable. At such times
we often amaze ourselves with what we are able to accomplish when we really,
really try.
And then we slip back into calm waters and resume
floating.
Life saves its greatest rewards for those who have
the strength and courage to escape their comfort zone. These people aren’t necessarily more talented
or more capable than anyone else.
They’ve just learned how to harness the best that is within them. They refuse to settle for “adequate” when
they are capable of “superb.” And they
understand that the only thing that’s good half-done is a steak.
That’s what Dad used to say. And he was right. “Do Your Best” is a powerful philosophy for
living. If you’re going to do it –
whatever “it” is – do your best. That
doesn’t mean you have to be the best there is – just the best you can be.
Even if that eliminates new
advances in shaving cream balloon bombing along the way.
# # #
— © Joseph Walker
For more ValueSpeak, please visit http://www.sfpnn.com/joseph_walker1.htm
E-mail Joseph at: valuespeak@msn.com
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