If I'll Never Be the Best, Why Continue?

Through middle school, I was deeply into acting. I loved to play the part of someone else for awhile and try on their lives. I valued the opportunity to be on stage and contribute to something that the audience could enjoy.

My dream of becoming a famous actress was crushed by two main things at the time- my acting coach told me that I’d need to be able to sing (I am tone deaf).

And my size.

By 5th grade, I was developing and had a bigger body than many of my friends. I did not have the same look as my neighbors who were models and in pageants, and my brain focused on Hollywood’s version of what it meant to be beautiful at the time.

Despite my love for theater, I quit. I never thought I’d be good enough to make a career of if, so why continue?

In High School, you often had to choose between theater and sports, anyway, so it made sense to me at the time that I’d need to walk away. I eventually walked away from sports, too, though, because I didn’t think I could be the best… so why continue?…

If I could ask that question to myself and reclaim the narratives that I had back then, the answer would be…

BECAUSE IT’S FUN!

In a high pressure, high achievement culture, we may lose sight of the value of doing things for play, pleasure, and joy.

We burn ourselves out by only focusing on work and to-dos, and thinking that fun and humor is something only children should enjoy.

Here’s the fallacy in that mindset… We don’t have to be the best or have some tremendous outcome we are trying to reach when we do everything.

What would it look like to do something, because you enjoy it? It’s FUN? Because you aren’t and never will be the best at it, and that’s what makes it even more fun since you may let go of any pressure to obtain an Olympic gold.

Through tapping into my awareness of my body over the past several years, I have been attuned to the chronic stress that I harbor while only focusing on serious things in life. As part of healing and intentional living to create a more fulfilling, sustainable life with optimized wellness of the mind, body, and spirit, I am reclaiming fun, hobbies, humor, and joy. I invite you to check in with yourself and see what you need, too.

If I were to go back to my younger self to answer the question of “why continue?”… I’d have said… because I love theater and sports. It’s how I express myself, reduce stress, and connect with others.

I don’t need to be the best at anything other than the best version of myself. I am the best version of myself when I am not chronically stressed out and when I have a full cup to help others make the most of their one precious life along with me. My cup is empty when I am always focused on serious things in life — time to let loose and fill it with things that bring back that childlike wonder, curiosity, and vigor for all that life has to offer. How about you?

Enjoy this content? I invite you to check out more on YouTube “A Life True to You” — https://www.youtube.com/@DrJillianRigert