Blog Dog Dan: BEING THE BEST or THE BEST AT BEING.....

Today is August 1, 2011. That’s a lot of 1’s! In Western culture, being “number one” is considered to be the best – it symbolizes the leader. It is the number of confidence.

Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president (1901-1909), was the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for ending the Russo-Japanese War (the "first great war of the 20th century"). One of his famous quotes is, "The leader works in the open and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives."

George Washington was the first president of the United States (1789-1797). He was also the Commander in Chief of all American forces during the American Revolutionary War. For his central role in the beginning of the United States, he is often called the father of his country.

What about the "space race" between Russia and the United States? Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to travel into space on April 12, 1961, greatly embarrassing the U.S. Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5. Wanting the U.S. to "catch up and overtake Russia," on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade. On June 16, 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space. Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov was the first human to conduct a spacewalk on March 18, 1965. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and 9 seconds.

Project Apollo was a reality in 1969 when Apollo 11 was the spaceflight to land the first humans on the moon on July 20. Only the construction of the Panama Canal in modern peacetime and the Manhattan Project in war were comparable in scope. On July 21, 1969, Neil Alden Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon, stating the famous words of "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Less than 15 minutes later, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin joined Armstrong.

After the crew of Apollo 10 named their spacecraft Charlie Brown and Snoopy, it was suggested that the crew of Apollo 11 be “less flippant” about naming their spacecraft. The command/service module (CSM) was named Columbia, for the feminine nickname of the United States. The lunar module (LM) was named Eagle, for the national bird of the United States, the bald eagle, which is on the mission insignia. During mission planning, the names Snowcone and Haystack were used!

Okay, I know I got carried away with the above, but I wanted to be the "first" to tell you all that history!

Do you know Sonnet 1 by William Shakespeare? He is considered the “father of English literature” who wrote 154 sonnets, 37 plays, 2 narrative poems, and 2 “lost plays.” Sonnet 18 is one of the more famous sonnets. You can go to nosweatshakespeare.com and read the sonnets and their modern translation.

Being the first and being number one has its significance and honor in their own unique situations, but you don’t have to be number one to have achieved greatness; sometimes it takes two or being second. What about the actors that were not chosen "first" to star in these movies - Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars, Sean Connery as James Bond in the Bond movies, and Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump.

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is now. ~ Proverb

It takes two days to learn everything about a man; to know animals you will need more time. ~ Iranian Proverb

It takes two men to make a brother. ~

Israel

Zangwill

It takes two to make a bargain. ~ American Proverb

It takes two to quarrel, but only one to end it. ~ Spanish Proverb

It takes two to speak truth — one to speak, and another to hear. ~ Henry David Thoreau

It takes two to tango. ~ Traditional Proverb

One can endure sorrow alone, but it takes two to be glad. ~ Elbert Hubbard

Whether you believe "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" or “Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing," you should strive to live up to YOUR potential, to YOUR highest standards. Whether you’re number one or number 100, “Be all that YOU can be,” and “Live long and prosper.” I love the expression, "Shoot for the moon. At the very least, you'll end up among the stars!"

We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. ~ Aristotle

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. ~ John Ruskin

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

~ Lao-Tze

Let's watch Jesse being the best dog he can be, which is pretty darn good!