The truth about the ‘performance’ you

Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash

YOU are not a human doing, you are a human being! Ever had that said to you, about you, or about another person?

It’s true, we are more than what we do, but what we do, and specifically how we do it, counts. But even that is only part of the story — a part of the story that is often exaggerated while another part of the story is neglected. That other part of the story is our performance is subject to enormous variability, dependant not least on how we’re treated, how confident we’re feeling, and how much we want to give as a result.

The truth is, in at least a crude estimation, our performance in any arena in life has three levels: times when we’re healthy and above average, times when we’re average, and times when we’re unhealthy and below average. If we’re capable of brilliance, we’re also capable of mediocrity. We’re not one or the other. We’re both. At different times. Even at the same time but in different spheres of life. And that’s okay.

I want to suggest something:

People cannot judge us fairly at our worst
unless they’ve seen us at our best.

If people only see us at our worst, perhaps when we’re performing at our worst, and that’s all they have to go on, they characterize us according to that poor standard. They will never believe we have more to offer, that we can and do offer more. The travesty for them and us is they may never see it.

Nobody ought to be stereotyped that they’re ‘this’ type of person or ‘that’ type of person. We’re all capable of a range of different behaviours and responses. It’s the environment and our own sense of well-being or ill-being in that environment that counts.

When experiencing a person at what could be their worst,
ask what could help them be at their best.

We are all capable of greatness and weakness,
nobility and depravity,
pride and shame.

Never are we beyond inspiring and disappointing people or ourselves.