In the film 'The Rock', Sean Connery takes a dim view of those who claim to be 'doing their best'. He comments grimly: 'Losers always whine about doing their best.' Is he right? This article tries to give an answer.
In the film, two men are set the near impossible task of disabling rocket bombs armed with nerve gas on the island of Alcatraz which has been occupied by ace rebel special forces. The lives of the five million citizens of San Francisco depend on their success. Tension is high throughout.
Sean Connery is one of the two men. He is a tough ex con. He asks his inexperienced partner, a mild mannered chemist, acted by Nicholas Cage:
"Are you ready for this?"
His partner bravely replies: " I'll do my best."
Sean Connery immediately corrects him:
"Losers always whine about doing their best."
Is Sean Connery right? Yes and No
Yes, people sometimes say they will do their best but really mean:
"I will make some effort but I don't really expect to succeed."
They use doing their best as an excuse for failure and are not in fact planning on really doing their best.
On the other hand some people mean they really will do their best whatever happens.
Such people do not always win but they often do win because so few others do their best. Those who do their best soon stand out from the majority who are content with mediocrity.
Also, doing your best allows you not to worry about the results and frees you up to focus on the task in hand. Come hell or high water, you will do your best and leave the results up to the universe. More often than not you will win.
Just saying "I will win", instead of "I will do my best", doesn't guarantee you will win especially if the other guy says he will win.
In the recent fight between world heavyweight champion Valeri Klitscho and the British Challenger Danny Williams both men said they would win.
However, Danny did acknowledge that both he and his competitor believed that they would win and that this would make for a great fight. Danny also had the grace to say he would only win 'God willing'.
In the end Danny put up a very brave fight and lasted into the eighth round but Klitschko won and retained his world championship belt.
In my opinion there is a lot to be said for really doing your best. The result is in the lap of the gods and is not necessarily under your control. But, if you do your best you may well win. Either way you are not a loser.
If you want to see who won in the film 'The Rock', get the video or DVD and watch it!
About the author
John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.
The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, Pictures And Quotes?Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"
The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com
The book uses acronyms, stories, pictures and quotations to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.
Ezine editors / Site owners
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site but please include this resource box.
recurring cleaning service Wilmette ..In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that... Read More
Give yourself a gold star Remember how rewarding it was... Read More
What Makes the Difference?On a warm spring afternoon, fifteen years... Read More
As a speaker and trainer, people often approach me after... Read More
I was talking about my business to a stranger the... Read More
So you want to be successful (whatever that means to... Read More
Think back to a time in your life when you... Read More
This summer (2005) huge crowds in England and Australia have... Read More
Well, it's that time of the year again. No, I... Read More
Absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind... Read More
What would happen if you lived your life by design... Read More
What with the millions of words printed every day about... Read More
Last month Along The Purpose Path was about how to... Read More
Thoughts are very powerful. An intention held long and hard... Read More
Asking questions is one of the most basic ways that... Read More
Here are 3 powerful steps you can take to free... Read More
Dr. Deepak Chopra is a well-known author of more than... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
I am writing this article to cement two key success... Read More
As very few people achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, as... Read More
We were at some friend's house the other day and... Read More
"The secret of success is to make what you are... Read More
'No man is an island' the saying goes. The implication... Read More
Both the worst and the best of the great achievers... Read More
Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up... Read More
reliable maid service Morton Grove ..Absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind... Read More
As I have worked with people over the years I... Read More
What is a champion really? Sure, all success oriented people... Read More
Coaching is about living great lives. It's about living lives... Read More
I've just sent an email to my mailing list based... Read More
I've long been a student of those who have achieved... Read More
Driven by cultural imperatives and inner promptings, we drive ourselves... Read More
Do you want to achieve your most important goals in... Read More
Thomas Edison has done it. Naomi Watts often jokes about... Read More
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique... Read More
An acquaintance of mine once lamented that she was utterly... Read More
There is one big "secret" to success that can help... Read More
We all want something to look forward to. The best... Read More
Any person who goes through life without experiencing failure is... Read More
Time taken for self-analysis is so important in developing your... Read More
There is no substitute for direct personal application. Information or... Read More
Success could be just about making money, but I think... Read More
Have a therapeutic meltdown It's crunch time: you're two days... Read More
Business knowledge and skills are not the only keys to... Read More
I used to see a chiropractor who handed out a... Read More
Frederick W. Smith attended Yale University and wrote a paper... Read More
Recently, I was asked to write a Top 10 list... Read More
They 'do it' by sharpening their FOCUS on the task... Read More
My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually... Read More
What is an ANT? An ANT is an acronym for... Read More
Success |