As I walked through the lobby of Mayo Clinic the other day, I watched as an older gentleman sat down on a bench to rest on his way to the elevators for the parking ramp. I noticed as I got closer to him that he was quite winded from the short walk he had just taken from his previous stop. As I passed by his bench, I looked at him, smiled, and nodded my head as a way to acknowledge the effort he was putting in. He gave me a half smile in return, as if to say, “I’m doing the best I can.” And you know what? He was doing the best that he could.

Each day, we’re all faced with a battle of some sort, whether that is physical or mental. We don’t always see the battles each other are facing, but trust me, they’re there. In a world where we tend to only display the good in our lives on social media, the pressure to be perfect, at just about everything, is higher than ever. It has become a rat race that everyone has to be the best at everything. While it’s extremely important to have ambition, drive, and motivation in life, I would also argue that having balance between that drive and being present in the moment is just as important. If we’re always trying to make our next move, are we appreciating what’s happening now? And I would ask if the things that we’re competing at are things that are important to us or simply things that are easy to compare ourselves to others with when we see pictures and articles posted in the media. Think about what your strengths are, what you are good at, and what’s important to you. Some days are better days than others, but just like the man walking to the elevators, you’re doing your best, and that’s ok.

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