The Best In The World

Remember when you’re a kid, and you think everything is the best? The best crayons, the best racing driver, the best shoes etc… For me it’s always been pretty important to be right, and that usually means being the best.

But being the best is actually quite a stupid concept. For example, saying someone is the best drummer in the world is one of the silliest things someone can ever say, simply because there are so many different styles of music. Thomas Lang is an unbelievable drummer, who specializes in foot techniques, playing polyrhythms and that type of thing, but when it comes to metal, Chris Adler kicks his ass. At the same time Steve Gadd kicks his ass when it comes to playing big band jazz type stuff.

That is not to say that Thomas Lang is by any means a bad drummer when it comes to metal, on the contrary he has a great feel for double kick and fills, but Chris Adler is just so creative with his fill, and his double kick work is just so melodic it’s amazing.

Which brings about the question, can anyone be the best at anything in a more specific field? Let’s continue with the example of drummers, can Chris Adler be the best metal drummer? I don’t think so, simply because there are many drummers who play metal, but have a different take on how rhythms should be played.

Chris Adler is very melodic with his double kick and fills, but he’s not anywhere near being the fastest drummer in the world. Tim Yeung on the other hand is one of the fastest drummers in the world with his feet, but all he does are simple rudiments as blastbeats. Does that mean he’s a bad drummer? Not at all, he’s a great drummer in the field of extreme metal, but I’m willing to bet a lot of money that when it comes to blues, he sucks.

So if it’s highly unlikely that anyone will ever be the best at anything is there a point to even trying? As you may know, I am an all or nothing person, and if I do something I want to be the best. But is this an unattainable goal? It looks that way, so then what is the solution?

For me the answer to that question is self confidence. I need to be confident in my own abilities, as well as my own take on things, and that is something that I’ve really been struggling with over the last few weeks. Its part of the journey I’m going on called life, and this segment is called low self esteem. I see myself in a bad light, and nothing anyone else says will help, I need to work through it myself.

I feel like I’ve got nothing to celebrate, no achievements I can fall back on, and it kind of sucks. I know that I’m not a failure or anything like that, I just wish I had the heart knowledge that I’m a success, and that I can do it.

In the end it comes down to your own feelings, not everyone else’s opinions. There are two people I need to please: Myself and YHVH / God. I know He’s ok with me, so it’s only me I need to work on. Shutting the world’s opinions out is a difficult task, but a necessary one at that.

All I can say is that as with everything, there is a beginning and an end. I know I’ll get through this, but it’ll take effort, and at the end it’ll be worth it because I’ll believe in myself and not care what other people think.

So what’s your answer to the question? Is there a need to be the best? What constitutes success for you? Or are you lucky enough to genuinely not care? Truth is that I do care, and the only way for me to get around it is to become my own critic as well as my own biggest fan, and that’s a tough task that’s going to take time. I’ll keep you updated though…