Be a better version of yourself… the better person you become, the better person you will attract.
The ‘quest’ to be a better version of YOU can sometimes be like telling yourself that you are not good enough … By seeking a better version of yourself, you are looking for all your flaws, warts and all… with a magnifying glass that is the size of your head. This can have all sorts of negative connotations. While I’m a big believer in self-reflection, if we’re not careful we can let negative thinking about ourselves spiral out of control, and that’s far from productive.
So, what about trying something different for a change?
What if, you were to accept the version of who you are, right here, right now. How does that feel? Do you feel less overwhelmed? You are perfect as you are. We are all allowed to be both masterpieces and works in progress simultaneously.
To be perfectly honest, I am feeling a little resistance myself as I write this because we all want those hot tips and tricks that will transform us overnight. Yes, even me. And given my knowledge and experience in this area you’d think I’d know better, (insert eye roll here) … But, seriously, who can refuse the ‘quick fix’?
The thing is we are all constantly seeking external validation, comparing ourselves to others and then setting great big audacious goals to improve. And more often than not, the only place that it gets us, is feeling exhausted.
Very often in life the quick fix that seems ideal is really only temporary.
If you want to make real, lasting change, then the secret to success is focusing on a little thing, or one little step each day.
Let me give you a personal example. Right now, I’m on a real-life rollercoaster. I want to be healthy, fit and have balance… and my goals are so big… to follow the keto lifestyle, run three times a week, meditate every single morning, watch my thoughts, stay mindful throughout the day and focus on my feelings, and still meet my business goals and make time for my family and oh, yeah, get my most recent manuscript over the finish line into a published book.
How do you think I am going? Yeah, you guessed it. Not that great. Because we can only juggle so many things all at once. We are, after all human, we have limitations and we need to honour them, otherwise we risk burnout.
It’s the little things in life…
Life is a journey, an adventure! It’s not, a marathon… And the thing is, you can always start fresh if things don’t work out right.
All too often we hear about ‘overnight success’. You know what? Success doesn’t happen overnight, it’s years in the making. Focus, incremental steps forward and commitment are what makes success. And one more thing: Patience is a virtue… So, clothe yourself with kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness, love and support for yourself.
Just try this – try focusing on one thing that is going well, or one thing you’re working on improving. I guarantee you’ll be more successful and here’s why.
Focusing on things that are already showing signs of positive momentum creates a very different energy from trying to ‘fix’ yourself. It’s an energy of acceptance, less judgement, and it’s much more pleasant to devote yourself too.
Little by little, 1% activity adds up … and pretty soon you’ve reached 10000%.
Improving oneself is not a destination … We are never cooked, we are never done, nor finished. We are simply dead.
But to be alive is to live and learn and enjoy the journey, or as I would like to call it “an adventure where we are constantly learning!”
So, make a promise to yourself – choose something and focus on it a little each day …. And see the difference.
Cookies make the world go around…
Out of interest, what’s your mid-afternoon craving? Mine is dark chocolate. I have a very close friend who likes biscuits. We want that sugar hit and when the temptation hits, it’s pretty hard to ignore.
But how about this. Let’s say you have one little biscuit with your coffee every day, one little Italian biscuit … its only ever so tiny.
Well… this ONE (1) biscuit = 26 grams of ‘total’ White Carbohydrates and 24 grams of sugar!!!
Which is 6 full teaspoons per biscuit = 1 little biscuit. Now … if we times that by 7 days a week, that is 42 teaspoons of sugar per week and then if we times that by month which is 168 teaspoons of sugar per month – that equals to 2184 teaspoons of sugar per year …
But remember, that’s just with that ONE LITTLE biscuit every day!
This is not a nutrition lesson and nor am I telling you not to eat the biscuit. The point is that little thing turns into big things if we are consistent over time. All too often we make the mistake of focusing on the short-term quick fix without considering the long-term gain…. And yet the long-term gain will be more solid and stable if we build our vision up incrementally.
Easy to do and easy not to do….
There is no magic bullet that can save you. The truth is that any form of success is a progressive process, and this is also about the journey as much as it is the destination. This journey must be fuelled with inspiration, one that will drive motivation into action. Most of the time, most of us are not fuelled by inspiration, we’re fuelled by panic, or overwhelm or fear and then we get stressed and start to go around in circles.
Anyone can set a goal, that’s the easy part. Reaching it is not always so easy. But if you remember the 1% rule, then things are much more achievable, and when you start to see the 1% add up, you’ll really be inspired to up the ante!
Investing 1% is a simple, practical way to achieve big goals. 1% is a tiny amount – but it will get you there in the end.
