I'll do my best

I'll do my best.

Is the above line a positive? I think it's a warning to expect less than your best. We are programmed to not say what's on our minds, so we spout stuff like this. But the truth is that often we don't want to or think we're not capable of doing something and instead of saying it, we say the above. The only response to it is:

I (or we) expect your best.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
http://www.labov.com/