Understand this as a process, a state of mind, a way of living – not something you aspire to every now and then. It is what we should all strive for at all times. Don’t be unreasonably mean to yourself, but accept nothing less. We can never be “the best there is” at any given moment, because this is a ridiculous, unattainable and unmeasurable metric. But we can strive to be the best we are capable of…
And here’s an immeasurably important point: if you truly live attempting to be the best person you can, when you fuck up you can take solace in knowing that no, of course you are not perfect, but that’s OK. You are trying to do the best you can, and that’s all that can be expected of anyone. We all make mistakes, but here’s the difference. If you make a mistake because you weren’t paying attention (or perhaps even trying) you have committed a grave error – one that’s difficult to forgive. You might have prevented the mistake if you were trying. On the other hand, if you were truly doing your best and fell short, while it may feel painful at first, you know that at least you were actively trying your best with the knowledge and skills you possessed at the time. You now have an opportunity to improve your knowledge and skill set by correcting whatever error you made, therefore becoming a better version of you. This is how you grow as a person and become a better human being.
By being the best you can be.