k-tax t1_iy7p3dr wrote on November 29, 2022 at 10:48 AM

Absolute bullshit.

If it needs doing, it can be done bad. This is a better quote.

You need a lunch. Does it have to be perfect, from scratch, super tasty etc.? It just needs to be. You can order it somewhere, or cut corners and make it fast. You need to tidy the house - do it perfectly or not do it at all. Sad, because doing t half-assed still gives you pretty clean house. Of course, it could have been better, but maybe next week? You need to prepare to an exam. You can half-ass it and pass, or you can study hard and get 100%. With granny, you either go for 100% or do nothing at all.

Sometimes things require your 100% focus, attention, commitment. But you cannot always do that, you have to allow sometimes NOT TO be your best. When you know that you could have done it better, but right now you don't have the time, energy, money or whatever. Can't go to the gym for 2 hours? Go for 45 minutes. Can't finish the project at uni? Half-ass it, take it off of your list. Can't make yourself nice full breakfast? Eat oatmeal, a sandwich or some nuts. Don't be hungry. Can't iron your shirt? Just do barely nothing. Barely ironed shirt looks so, so much better than just grabbed from wardrobe.

It's not a perfect advice. Nothing is. But there are many, many, many situations where you are better with some result than no result, so very often it's better to half-ass something than to keep yourself from doing it until you can devote enough time/attention/resources.

reddeaded1 t1_iy833nn wrote on November 29, 2022 at 1:27 PM

"Do your best" doesn't mean you need to reach the absolute peak of your performance or don't bother doing it at all. Circumstances will dictate what "your best" looks like. If fact, this is the most common use of the phrase. When you know you're capable of better, but circumstances dictate you can't at the moment, you "do your best". For example:

> Can't go to the gym for 2 hours? Go for 45 minutes.

In my opinion, that IS doing your best. If you actually can't put in your full workout, but still manage to get one in, you did your best. You aren't failing to do your best because circumstances dictate you can't hit peak performance. If you had no excuse and just decided to half ass your workout anyway, that would be failing to do your best. That's what should be avoided.

k-tax t1_iy83wmp wrote on November 29, 2022 at 1:35 PM

But in this case your "best" is whatever you decide it is. I am saying, not everything needs "your best". And if you are not doing "your best", it's still bringing value. You have time and everything for a full workout, but don't feel like it? You don't need to give it your best. Don't go into: it's either your best or nothing. The space in-between is fine as well. And motivational posts like the above one make it clear: give it your best. Always do your best. Which can be daunting and is unadvised.

Have priorities. Think about thinking and doing. Not everything deserves your best.

reddeaded1 t1_iy877k3 wrote on November 29, 2022 at 2:04 PM

> And if you are not doing "your best", it's still bringing value.

I don't think most people would disagree with this, at least I don't. But if you don't have an excuse then you're failing to meet your potential, which you shouldn't be happy with (or at least as happy as if you had). "Doing your best" or "achieving your potential" is a virtue. It's like when people tell you to practice kindness, or generosity, or forgiveness, or whatever. They are principals that we've decided are worth striving to meet (there is room for disagreement on that but I think it's outside the scope of this conversation).

This isn't to say you have to always live up to these principals, we are human and can't be expected to behave perfectly. I don't always react kindly when someone cuts me off in traffic, and I've been known to hold a grudge on occasion, but I still believe kindness and forgiveness are virtues worth striving for. You don't have to practice a virtue 100% of the time to still believe it is worthwhile, we don't need to throw it away completely because it's impossible to always live up to, we simply must do our best.

Krambazzwod t1_iy7rfqn wrote on November 29, 2022 at 11:20 AM

Do my best.

k-tax t1_iy7sogo wrote on November 29, 2022 at 11:36 AM

Do you need to do YOUR best with everything? Is YOUR half-ass not enough to iron a shirt, prepare a meal, exercise, call your close ones?

I know that YOUR best is different from others best, but you don't need YOUR best all the time. Moreover, sometimes YOUR half-ass is more than others best.