“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” — George S. Halas, Head Coach Chicago Bears (1933-42, 1946-55, 1958-67)

Giving your best in everything you do is a mindset. If you think about it, it is a habit. The cue is you are about to engage in an activity. The routine is that when you engage you will concentrate, extend yourself, endeavor to learn and to improve.

Some are compulsive about doing their best. They are ultra-competitive. They can tend toward an imbalance in work life.

That being said, it is better to tend toward a tendency to “do your best” all the time as compared to resisting a push to achieve. It leads to greater satisfaction. Here are a few things that those who give their best achieve:

•  Clear conscience – When you give your best, you don’t have to wonder what might have been. All of us have experiences where we didn’t try as hard as we could. The trick is not to have a road behind us littered with things we “coulda” or “shoulda” done or things we “woulda” have accomplished.
• Developed strength – A full effort every time helps you to develop skill, ability, character. A full effort every time accumulates “interest” on your investment. The gap between those who consistently give their best and those who don’t grows slowly at first and, then, becomes significant.
• Self respect – As you get better through consistent best efforts, your self-confidence grows. That clear conscience fueled by developing competence develops your capacity for greater challenge. You endeavor into areas you might have avoided before. You volunteer for responsibilities you might not have tried. It builds.
• Good reputation – Giving your best all the time will draw attention. A habit of full engagement is honored. Bosses, colleagues, teammates and, most importantly, family will regard highly one who always gives her best. Giving your best requires sacrifice. When you sacrifice, others gain.
• Greater opportunity – Giving your best yields dividends. The saying “the harder I work, the luckier I get” rings true. Hustling all the time puts you in spots where the non-hustlers can’t reach.  It’s that simple.

Think of those you admire for their consistent efforts toward trying hard. It pays. Not just with material possessions. It pays with the glow of someone doing life the right way.