Part of my job in the church involves public speaking, on Sundays or special occasions. And I am aware that some of my talks are better than others.

In the main people are gracious and not too critical of the less good talks.

But I remember one funeral when two of us were doing talks to honour the person who had died. After the service one member of the congregation came to me suggesting that “I had a nerve to share the occasion with this other man who was so much better than me.” And that set me thinking.

While being somewhat hurt by the comment, I realised that he could well be right. You see, I have had to come to terms with the fact that there is nothing where I am the best in the world; there is always someone better.

This all started at school where I was never top in the class in any subject. One boy, Alan, seemed good at everything – every subject, every sport and even with the girls.

I am blessed with several grandchildren and I was having a conversation with one who was concerned that one of her classmates always got better marks than she did.

I tried to encourage my grandchild with the advice that we cannot all be top of the class. But that that was not what was important. Our aim shouldn’t necessarily to be top but to do the very best we can do.

We cannot control what other people do but we can do our own very best. And when you can get away from thinking that life is just one long competition, you can have a peace when you do your own best.