Be All You Can Be

When I was sophomore in college I took an economics course that said a college degree is merely a piece of paper that proves two things: 1. That you are at least this smart and 2. That you are at least this hard working. And in reality, that’s pretty accurate. So whether I worked as hard as I could and got straight A’s or partied as much as I could and got straight C’s I would end up with the same piece of paper. Being the wise 19 year old that I was I took the latter approach and crawled my way through college getting by with the bare minimum.

Two years later I dated a bioengineering pre-med student that was quite the opposite of me and had a very different outlook on things. She valued having a strong work ethic and believed that if you were going to do something you should do it to the best of your ability and apply yourself to reach your maximum potential. Fortunately this philosophy rubbed off onto me and completely changed my perspective.

This is an important concept that I feel defines what kind of person you are: one that “gets by” doing the bare minimum or one that holds themselves to a higher standard. I believe that if you are going to do something then you should do it the best you can! If you’re going be a babysitter for the night, be the most fun and most responsible baby sitter those kids have ever had. If you’re going be a garbage man, be an amazing garbage man that loves his job. If you’re going to be someone's friend, be a true, sincere, fun and incredible friend. Whatever it is you are facing, commit yourself to doing your absolute best and giving it everything you got!

I think the reason that most people don’t take this approach is because there is usually no one to hold you accountable. YOU are the only person who knows if you’re working at your full potential, no one else is looking. So stop and ask yourself this question: what kind of person do YOU want to be?