'Be the Best' is a phrase meant to inspire; to remember. This phrase has become an anchor for a friend whose son decided way too soon, it was time to go. For his dad, this phrase personifies the type of kid he was, passionate, driven, always striving to be the best. In contrast, it's what makes his last choice, his worst and I can't help wonder if this drive to be the best didn't factor in. I wonder if in striving he forgot he was already the best, as is. I know his parents thought so. Their belief in him was never dependent on whether he succeeded, whether he achieved. I can't help but wonder if this boy of 17 believed being the best was a goal to reach.

Being 17 isn't the same as being 7, when just being, was the best. Being 17 is all about being driven by the stuff people can see, like the size of a bicep, the number on the scoreboard, the letter on a term paper, the look of the ride, the response of a girl, the school, the team, the job of choice.... The list of things can be bigger than the boy. The pressure can be enormous. The hardest part of all is how this focus outward distorts the truth that lies inward, that at 7 or 17, or 70, he is already the best. Nothing he can do can change that.

Now, whenever I hear the phrase, 'Be the Best', I want to interrupt and suggest a slight rewrite. I want to change the tense from future to present. I want boys of 17 to remember what they used to know when they were 7.

You Are The Best.

The rest is just for show.