But Did You Do Your Best?

July 22, 2025

by Stephen T. Messenger

We have a four-part saying in our house when someone leaves for school or work: “Go gettem’ Tiger! You’re a winner! Do your best! Make the Messenger’s proud!” The third statement is the one that always gets me. We’re called to try our hardest in the task at hand. If something is worth doing, we should do it well.

It’s really one of the main questions in life. Did we do our best? Jimmy Carter learned this lesson early in a Navy interview to work hard, be honest, and prioritize our life properly.

The Nuclear Question

Upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy, Midshipman Jimmy Carter was looking to join the nuclear submarine community. To get in, he had to pass a challenging interview with Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.”  

Rickover possessed incredibly high standards and relentless drive in his 63 total years in the military, more than anyone else. He was instrumental in developing the modern-day Navy’s nuclear propulsion and established his legacy through zero nuclear reactor incidents that remains to this day. Rickover was the definition of high standards and excellence, and one he expected from his team.

Jimmy Carter sat for the interview which lasted over two hours. They discussed a variety of subjects with Rickover allowing Carter to guide the conversation. Carter chose his most familiar topics such as seamanship, music, tactics, and gunnery, and the Admiral asked him questions that challenged his knowledge. Each time, Carter realized that his depth of knowledge in each subject was shallow.

Rickover then asked where Carter placed in the Naval Academy. He proudly responded that he was #59 out of 820 midshipmen. After what must have seemed like an eternal pause, Rickover asked, “But did you do your best?”

As told by Carter in his autobiography, Why Not the Best?, “I started to say, ‘Yes sir,’ but I remembered who this was and recalled several times I could have learned more about our allies, our enemies, weapons, strategy, and so forth. I was just human. I finally gulped and said, ‘No sir, I didn’t always do my best.’ He looked at me for a long time and then turned his chair around to end the interview. He asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget—or to answer. He said, ‘Why not?’ I sat there for a while, shaken, and then slowly left the room.”

For Carter, this was a turning point in his life. He understood from the interview that in order to be the best, we have to do our best. Carter understood this to mean that whatever the task, small or large, his charge was to carry it out to the best of his ability. The three lessons to take away from this story, although only one of them has to do with giving our all-out effort, are to work hard, be honest, and know what’s important in life.

Work Hard

One of the hardest working presidents we’ve had was Teddy Roosevelt. He overcame numerous obstacles in life to include a childhood disease, the death of his wife and mom on the same day, multiple political races, austere hunting trips, the assault on San Juan Hill, and governing New York. Each event required hard work and perseverance to get things done.

Roosevelt knew that life would be a challenge and one that required us to rise to the occasion. In his autobiography, he wrote, “We need the positive virtues of resolution, of courage, of indomitable will, of power to do without shrinking the rough work that must always be done.” Life will not hand us success. We have to earn it. Carter realized this same epiphany through the interview that he carried with him his whole life. Hard work outworks talent when talent isn’t working hard enough.

Be Honest

Teddy Roosevelt was riding near his ranch when his cowhand found a neighbor’s steer and prepared to brand it. Roosevelt stopped him, alerting the rancher that it was someone else’s animal. The cowboy insisted it was fine, because they were branding it with the Roosevelt symbol. Indignant, Roosevelt responded for the man to “…get back to the ranch and get out. I don’t need you anymore. A man who will steal for me will steal from me.”

He knew the power of integrity, and whether operating at the highest levels of government or running a peanut farm like Jimmy Carter, we have to be without a hint of impropriety. Carter could have lied in the interview and said he did his best. Most of us probably would have done the same. But as a man of integrity, he took time to assess his effort and honestly stated that he could have given more. This could have cost him the interview, but he preserved his reputation.

Know What’s Important

Finally, we must know what’s important in life. As a 23-year-old New York State Assemblyman, Roosevelt left politics after the death of his wife and mother. He moved to North Dakota on a ranch for two years, knowing that he needed mental separation from the crisis in his life. Roosevelt, who was no stranger to going all out, knew that “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

We sometimes need to say no. Often we’re convinced to try hard in a certain area of our life, but perhaps that’s not what’s best for us. A promotion is great, but not when it creates unhealthy stress. Or making money is good, but not at the expense of 80 hours per week of sales calls. Success for Carter may have been #1 in his class, but at what cost? Perhaps he wouldn’t have made such incredible relationships with his peers.

What is Our Best?

The story of Jimmy Carter is a compelling tale about the value of giving our best in every endeavor. This is an important quality, but Carter is also teaching us to value honesty and know what’s important. After his presidency, Carter was an activist in diplomatic peace negotiations, writer of 30 novels to include children’s books, advocate for Habitat for Humanity, and active Sunday school teacher. He put his efforts in the right places which required honesty and service.

Carter ended up getting that job. He joined the nuclear Navy and did his best, led a life of honesty, and focused on that was important. Much like the Carters, “Do your best” is more than a line we say in our house. It’s a way of life worth choosing every day. Jimmy Carter showed us that effort, honesty, and clarity of purpose are more powerful than any resume line or award.

The world doesn’t need more perfect people. It needs more people doing their best for the right reasons.

So go gettem’ Tiger! You’re a winner! Do your best! And make your tribe proud!

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