Wisdom Matey Tetteh: The guy who did his best 

My University journey

Before being accepted into the university, all applicants had to complete a written test and an oral interview.

When I arrived at the interview grounds, I was intimidated by the other applicants who, appeared well-prepared. I could see them meticulously preparing themselves with large books and pamphlets. The program brochure that came with the entrance form was all I had with me.

I managed the exams, though, with confidence, and I then moved on to the oral interview. When they posed technical questions, I was unable to react in a way that made sense because I didn’t know what they were talking about. I had little knowledge of the programme I applied for, yet something hit a nerve.

“As you can see, I have a strong academic background, and you seem to think highly of my creativity based on the sample of my work that I have provided. I do not know much about this professional programme, but I am eager to learn” I stated midway through the session.

“I always do my best, and this will be no exception” I added.

The interview turned into an ordinary conversation after that comment.

I got admission and, cognisant of my assurances to the interview panel who would later become my lecturers, I excelled. I graduated as the best Screen Editor in my year group and, the projects I worked on and the team garnered over 70% of the awards during the graduation ceremony.

By watching YouTube videos and signing up for online courses, I also taught myself graphic design, digital illustration, photography, image retouching, and identity branding. I leveraged these skills to assist my colleagues on their projects in areas such as film poster design, set design and being a background artist for a couple of animation projects. I also started my second business, a media production company call Visual Lab Media Ltd.

I arrived on campus as a total newbie but left as one of the most versatile students. All of this was accomplished with a “doing my best” attitude.

Why do your best?

The ability to give one’s all and pursue excellence is a valuable quality that can be helpful in life. To perform your best, you don’t need good luck. To accomplish your best work, you don’t have to be the best. All that is necessary is the willpower and dedication to see things through to completion and produce results you can always be proud of.

For everything you set out to do, whether big or small give it your best shot. Make it a mantra to always question the quality of your output for every work done. Ask yourself “Is this world-class”?. Develop work ethics that prioritises a constant pursuit of accuracy and excellence and you are sure to win on every front. You should strive to be the finest versions of yourself rather than allowing complacency and mediocrity take over your life.

This can be accomplished through engaging in activities like active goal-setting, creating benchmarks and superior standards to measure your output, constant self-reflections, and ongoing education to ensure that you are on top of issues. Also, build capacity enough to be able to take on task, seek information and go all out on every little assignment.

Additionally, make it a point to constantly do your best no matter what as the days pass. It spares you from the regrets associated with mediocre results and pointless justifications for when things go wrong. Do your best right away instead of waiting for inspiration. Allow the mindset to permeate your very being right now and apply it to other areas of your life, and you will observe a difference.

Overall, it’s critical to keep in mind that effort and commitment may always pay off in the long run, and that as young people and professionals, we should constantly aim to do our best. In our personal, social, academic, and professional lives, we can succeed and feel satisfied with the right mindset and a consistent work ethic.

The Creator has not called us to be mediocre so go all out there, do your best and don’t forget to be awesome.