Life is too short to sacrifice the gift Published Jan. 20, 2016 By Col. Michael Grismer 436 Aiflift Wing commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Sage words by the late distance runner and Olympian Steve "Pre" Prefontaine. Pre was not a natural runner but was legendary for pushing himself to exhaustion during practice, and his hard work paid off on race day. What makes people give their best effort is a very personal question, but an important one to understand. Best efforts are critical to achieving personal and professional life goals, but also because our Air Force, the smallest in history, needs everyone's best effort now more than ever. An amazing best effort story played out this season in the NFL. Unfortunately, not in Chicago but some 500 miles west of the Windy City in Kansas City, home to the Chiefs and safety Eric Berry, who was named a first-team pro-bowler in 2015. Upon finishing the 2014 NFL season, Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. Undeterred, Berry and his team of physicians opted for an unorthodox treatment approach which allowed him to fully recover and play the entire 2015 season. Typical chemotherapy treatment is delivered through a peripherally inserted central catheter line which leaves a catheter in the body between treatments. This treatment form comes with prohibition against lifting more than 10 pounds, and would not suffice for Berry who planned to work-out during chemotherapy treatments. Berry elected to have all chemotherapy administered via IV in his arms, so he could stay in shape for the upcoming season. According to one of his teammates, throughout chemotherapy, Berry spent more time conditioning than anybody on the team - he is a guy who "works out for his lunch break" which explained why this cancer patient showed up to training camp "looking like a superhero." Identifying the key essentials which push people to achieve their best effort is an instructive exercise to determine how best to motivate ourselves and others. Consider the following three elements: People want purpose in life. We want to be a part of something greater than ourselves. One of the questions I typically ask new Airmen is why they joined our Air Force. A common theme heard is because they want to be part of the world's greatest Air Force. Our people need to know how important and connected they are to the mission. Every time one of our great flying machines gets off the ground, there are thousands of hands pushing--teammates who made it possible. People want to be challenged to achieve their full potential. We owe it to America's best to give them the best training, resources, leadership and opportunity to succeed. If we cannot professionally challenge them, they will not perform, we will lose combat capability and they will look for challenges elsewhere. People want to be appreciated. Everyone wants to be told they are valued and appreciated for the great efforts they bring to our team. A timely and simple thank you from a supervisor, peer or customer can mean so much. Another critical piece here is recognizing the highest performers for what they do to raise the level of play for the entire team. To close the Eric Berry story, the Chiefs lost five games in a row to start the season. However, they managed to finish winning a franchise record 11 straight and a trip to the playoffs. Many credit the turnaround to Eric Berry's example. He has a passion for his profession and gives his best every day. He inspired and raised the level of play for his team, fought off cancer, finished first in every drill at practice and he never sacrificed his gift.