To paraphrase the band that has not stopped embracing change since the band formed in 1978: Duran Duran.
“2015 is another country. 2016 will never last. 2017 is still tomorrow.”
That’s right; there is absolutely NOTHING we can do about 2015, 2017 is still a dream, and the clock is ticking on 2016.
What will you do in 2016?
Typically, it is the first few days of the new year that people get hung up on making those resolutions about how much weight they will lose or how many books they will read or how much more time they will spend with family, and so on ad nauseam.
That’s all fine and dandy and in some cases, people will consider the resolution epic or bordering on heroic. However, no one ever get anywhere by just saying something they will do something. The recognition, honors, accolades, and applause come from actually getting up, off your backside, and DOING IT!
MAKING SOMETHING GOOD HAPPEN!
I said this before…I know I have…yet there are still so many people that wallow in their lack of moving forward and REFUSE TO BLAME THEMSELVES for being in the place, position, and situation they find themselves on this day in 2016. No, those people will continue to blame others. As sure as the rain falls or the sky is blue, they will do the only thing they know how to do: REFUSE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES.
I should know I have been here. However, when I stopped letting the wrong people in things changed. When I started accepting myself for who I am. Once I started accepting that fact, it was then that I realized change was solely all up to me. Not so long ago, I made the decision that enough was enough, especially when I was giving my power to those that were only in it for themselves. Giving power to those that believed some old and antiquated belief system rooted in a hierarchy system that rewards those that reach a certain age or position yet completely passes over those with common sense and wisdom (see, if you are old but lack wisdom or common sense then you have led a safe/sheltered life and what’s the point in that?). It was totally and completely up to me to make my life better. It was up to me to stop giving power to those that sucked the life and happiness out of my life.
IT WAS UP TO ME TO BE BETTER THAN YESTERDAY.
It was not about making things better than last week, last month, or last year. I had the power to change today. To make today better. “Better than what?” I asked myself. Dr. Stephen Covey taught us that it takes 21 days to create a habit. There was the answer: 21 days.
21 days in a row. One day at a time without wavering. One day. Today. That was it. All I had to do was be better today than yesterday. Do one more push up than I did yesterday. Run 1/10th of a mile more than I did yesterday. Eventually, the pushups and miles add up. Really they do.
After 21 days, I can do 21 more pushups to the 50 I could already do for a total of 71 pushups. Those 21 additional 1/10th of a mile come out to 2.1 miles more to the already two-mile run you are doing.
I hope you can see where I am going with this. All it takes is doing something better one day at a time. Not every day can be a better day than yesterday.
Of course, it can. That’s the beauty of being better than yesterday. I never say I have to be a better runner than yesterday or a better reader or better writer than yesterday. By being specific, it locks you in and in turn makes it easier to quit being better when you do not lose those 5 pounds by the 31st of January or not running that 10K race in February. Just pick and choose the one thing to work on to be better and you got it.
You are a whole person, full of many things that make you who you are. You want to run a 10K, while running more and often is critical so is drinking more water, eating better, studying how others run, train, prepare and so on. That whole 360° approach is where it’s at.
By looking all around, you have the great opportunity to pick and choose, on a daily basis, what you will work on to improve today then you are honestly working at being better than yesterday.
Being Better Than Yesterday does not have to be a struggle. Actually, it is a lot of fun because you control what that one thing is.
Sure, there are ups and downs but so long as you do something, anything, the positives will add up and outweigh the negatives. It might not seem like it today (early 2016) but if you try you will see the results this time next year (early 2017).
Beside what do you have to lose by being better than yesterday?
Thanks for your time,
-David
Hello everyone! Today, I am introducing a new audio / podcast series which I am tentatively calling “The Daily Dave” and I will do so until I can or you can come up with a new or different name.