The Value In Under-Estimating Yourself

Oxymoron? Maybe. But hold tight.
I’ve been told time and again that I under-estimate myself. And it’s true, I never believe what I do is good enough. I seemingly always fall short of my expectations. But the caveat to that is I set my expectations ridiculously high. I graduated at the top of my undergraduate class because I put unrelenting pressure on myself. And see, the thing about that “achievement” is that it means nothing to me. All the colorful tassels and medallions don’t have any value in themselves. That is all in the past, they’re irrelevant. I’m not concerned with what I achieved in college, or even what I did this past summer. I’m concerned with what I will achieve today, tomorrow, next week.

Reveling in past work is detrimental to current work.
Because the fact is, performance on a previous job doesn’t matter at all if that same effort, or greater, isn’t put into the current job. What matters is now. Approach every new adventure, project, job, whatever it may be, as though this is the time you will fail. This is the moment you must prove yourself. Sure, you succeeded in the last thing, but what about this one? Don’t let your past wins give you a false sense of value.
I strive to be the best I can in everything I do, and that “best” can always be better. I can always be better, so nothing I do is good enough. And that is where the value lies, it creates drive, perseverance, because “better” can always improve. When you know there is always improvement to be made, you can never over-estimate yourself