Several years ago, I sang on what should have been a routine recording session. There were about six of us singing well-known songs for karaoke tracks, and I was asked to record a solo on a break. After singing it through just once, the producer said, ‘Wow, Chance, I think we got it!” If you’re happy, I’m happy, I thought to myself. It wasn’t my best, but it wasn’t bad either. Plenty good enough for what we were doing. No one’s ever gonna hear this anyway, I told myself. Ten minutes and I was done. On to the next thing.
I didn’t give it another thought until a couple of years later when that recording started popping up in other places. I began getting emails and phone calls from friends saying, “I heard you on Pandora!” Then I noticed it on a compilation. And another. And another. Before I knew it, that ten minutes of my life and work had a greater reach than almost anything else I’d ever done. Like it or not, it was out there – and I didn’t like it at all.
It started an important internal conversation that began with thoughts like…
“They shouldn’t be able to release that!”
“If I’d have known so many people were gonna hear it, I’d have asked to sing that line again.”
“I sure wish people could hear something that matters to me instead of this.”
“Nobody knows I did that so quickly. They’re gonna think that’s my best work.”
(In my most whiny voice…) “It’s not faaaiiir!’’
After all of my excuses and accusations, I eventually arrived at the simple truth… It’s my fault. I should have cared more that day.
Truth be told, I was phoning it in. I was punching a clock, just doing what was in front of my face, unaware that I was creating something that would eventually matter. If I’d known where it would end up, of course I would have given it more effort. I would have done work that was worthy of my name. Not that it was bad – but it wasn’t up to my standard, and I knew it even in that moment. I just wanted to get it done.
I should have cared more that day. I should have given more of myself to it. I should have treated it like it mattered – because it did. And as it turns out, it matters even more so today. If I’m not happy, it’s my fault. I settled for ‘good enough’, rather than sticking with it until I could be proud. I let someone else’s lower standard affect mine. But all these years later, it’s got my name on it, and it says more about me than anyone else in the room that day.
It taught me a valuable lesson. You never know when your work will come back to help or hurt you. You never know where or how it will show up in the future. Is it enough to slide by – or should we be driven by an inner standard calling us to give the best we’re capable of? Sometimes our employers don’t know how to lead us to our best… but does that mean they don’t deserve our best?
It’s time to move beyond simply punching a clock. We’ve got to approach even those things we don’t give great value to as if they matter. Because they do – even more than we know in the moment.
I’d love another pass at that vocal, but in a way I’m glad I can’t get it. I think everything I ever do will be better for it.
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That’s the lesson we all should learn – to give our best to every little thing we do as if they all matter. Even something that was thought to be unimportant may turn into something crucial as time goes by. It’s easy to forget about it in everyday life and sometimes we happen to face something like what you wrote about in this post.
Yes, I agree. Thanks so much for commenting.
That hits on SO many levels…not just what you do in your work, but how you relate to those people in your life, especially those you are close to , family members, friends, etc. How much of yourself do you give to them….Sometimes, even when you think you give a lot if you look back you can almost always say…”I wish I had said…….or done” . When they are gone , out of your life, and there comes a time when some will indeed be gone out of your life will you be happy how you were with them?
Thanks Chance…once again you touch the heart!!
Love you!!
When I wrote it, I was so tempted to talk about the ways this lesson has shown up for me personally, beyond anything work related. I didn’t for the sake of brevity, but to me, that’s where it has mattered the most. I’m so glad you saw it from that perspective too. Thanks for commenting, so people were able to think about this for themselves! :) xo
This is the best lesson to learn!
Be true to your heart/standards.
Everything counts.
Even if as a lesson to do better. :)
Thank you for the post.
J.
Everything counts. Brief and so true.
Man oh man oh man! The implications of this one are so far reaching. It definitely applies to my life on so many different levels. I’ve talked about people being ecstatic about what I know is mediocre, at least mediocre for what I am capable of, for years and me just giving it to them because they were excited about it and happy with it.
I’ve known for some time that I should have been doing better, but this one got me in the gut and I know that I have to stop talking about and actually start doing it!
As always, thanks for sharing!
Ugh – I feel your pain. I can relate for sure. Sorry to call you out – calling myself out too. START NOW! If you CAN do better, you HAVE to. So many people don’t even have the option to reach for more. If you can, you must.