Becoming the Best You Can Be Is Harder Than You Think

Tavian Jean-Pierre
6 min readAug 16, 2021

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”

Maya Angelou

Not too long ago, I spoke with a close friend of mine concerning being the best at what you do. Seeing we are on the final stage of Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, it fits in well. Maslow believed that the greatest need we can achieve is self-actualisation.

Self-actualisation is when one meets their full potential. Therefore, to desire to become that is a need, if achieved, brings about fulfilment in oneself. Just like many things linked to our fulfilment, it is hard to define what it is. Yes, I agree with Maslow that meeting your full potential is part of fulfilment, but how do we know when we have.

I am sure many of us have heard the phrase, “If you put your mind to it, you can do it.” And many people get told this at an early stage in life. And there is much truth to it. Almost anyone who has the right resources can do anything to a reasonably good standard if they focus on it.

However, some people are naturally more gifted than others. Therefore, even if I set my mind to become the best at what I do, I may never be able to due to another more gifted individual. Does that mean I will never obtain…

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Tavian Jean-Pierre

Founder of the Better Conversations Podcast | Inspiring a better future | Thought leadership in the topics of innovation, economics, and entrepreneurship