What does it mean to you to ‘do your best’? For me, it used to mean doing everything I can in a given situation. After all, if I could have done more, surely, what I gave was not my best?
However, I recently read a book that has helped to shift my perspective on this. In The four agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz delves into the many subconscious agreements we unwittingly make with ourselves in our young lives based on social and cultural norms and expectations—agreements which Ruiz suggests can inadvertently end up running our lives and prevent us from living freely. Ruiz offers replacing them with four new agreements, which at first seem rather basic, but context through a unique perspective reveals their value for application, both personally and professionally.
The four agreements are: be impeccable with your word; don't take anything personally; don't make assumptions; and always do your best. Each of these is worthy of consideration but I want to focus on the 4th agreement, ‘Always do your best’. Ruiz suggests that in any given situation, we must always do our best, not less—and not more. As I have always defined my best as giving my all, I wondered what it would mean to give ‘more than my best’?
He goes on to explain that when you give more than your best, you're no longer giving from a place of wanting to give; you feel depleted but keep giving anyway and your best ends up not being good enough, leading to resentment and burnout.
Earlier this year, Beldon and Garside (2022) revealed high levels of burnout among ambulance staff, with more than 50% of those surveyed experiencing some level of burnout, and 87% experiencing moderate or high levels of depersonalisation towards their work. Mildenhall (2012) had uncovered that cognitive coping styles such as avoidance were associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout.
Employing an avoidant approach, or making light of traumatic situations through the use of humour, certainly feels easier in the short term than reflecting on the reality of a difficult experience and finding ways to express and cope with the thoughts and emotions that arise. I can imagine as an ambulance paramedic, the primary need must feel like the ability to continue showing up to work day after day and putting one foot in front of the other, rather than having what might feel like the ‘luxury’ of time and energy to delve into the potential trauma, emotions and possible moral distress that may come up after a particularly difficult shift. However, if what is taken from your cup is not replenished in some way, it will become depleted, making it near impossible to keep giving your best in the long term.
On p. 314 of the current issue, Hutchinson et al explore the role of individual factors in the mental health of NHS ambulance personnel. Perceived stress, resilience and satisfaction with life were focused on in particular—their collective impact never having been investigated.
What do you think of as being ‘your best’ and what do you think you need to ensure you receive consistently in order to keep giving it?