Becoming a Better You

Every day, you must answer a specific question, by default or on purpose.

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Did you answer the question you asked yourself this morning?

Did you even know you were supposed to? 

Or, did you even know you asked yourself a question?

Each morning when you wake up and see yourself in the mirror, there’s a mandatory question you are required to answer.  It’s not optional. It is a question only YOU can answer.

This quintessential question has only two possible answers, no more and no less. Depending on how you answer the question, it is life-altering for you and those around you, one way or another.  It is a question you cannot escape, nor hide from.

Yet, sadly, far too many people choose to ignore the question, as if the person staring back at you in the mirror never raised it.  By choosing not to intentionally address and answer the question, you choose one of the two only possible answers by default.

It’s a YOU question.

The answer to the question determines how you will lead yourself and the success you will experience (or the lack thereof) as you go through the day.

What is this mysterious, life-altering question?

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

There are only two answers: Yes or No.

Both answers are life-changing. One answer sets you up for more opportunities and more success in life. The other leaves you stuck, where you are, as you are, unchanged.

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

Today Matters!

In Og Mandino’s classic work, “The Greatest Salesman in the World”, Hafid (the lowly camel boy who became the greatest salesman in the world, introduces his trusted servant to the ten scrolls of wisdom that forever changed his life.  The first scroll reveals how you and I should great each day:

“Today I begin a new life. Today I shed my old skin which hath, too long, suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity. Today I am born anew and my birthplace is a vineyard where there is fruit for all.” (Og Mandino)

It is easy to do the same things the same way. Why?  We are all creatures of habit. Many of the daily tasks we engage in are nothing more than established routines that we mindlessly engage in without conscious thought. Much of this programmed behavior was coded into our minds by others – our family and early influencers and authority figures.

The more we engage in these programmed behaviors, the more we reinforce them. As we go through childhood, the teen years, and even into early adult life, we are exposed to new things. We learn. Once we learn it, we seek to systematize it so we can do it without much conscious thought. 

But we get to a point in our lives, for some earlier than others, that we stop learning.  A study from Bookstatistics revealed that 58% of the U.S. adult population will never read another book after completing high school.  The same can be said for 42% of college graduates.

I believe Ray Kroc said it well:

“As long as you’re green, you’re growing. Once you’re ripe you start to rot.” 

When you say NO to the question of whether or not you’ll do what is required to become a better version of YOU than the day before, you’ve chosen to start to rot.  When you are not learning, growing, maturing, and improving at some point you become obsolete.

Think about the plumber, electrician, mechanic, or medical professional who never adds to what he or she learned while in trade school ten, twenty, or even thirty years ago.  Would that be your first choice to repair your home or your car, or perform a life-saving surgery on you? 

I don’t think so.

Yet every day, when you look yourself in the mirror, you are faced with that singular question that must be answered – by default or on purpose.

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

Remember, successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do sometimes, or not at all. Less than 5% of all the people alive on planet Earth at this moment are highly successful people. They are the ones who, as they see their image reflected back at them in the mirror, say, “Today matters!”  These people realize that this day, today, will never happen again. This 24 hours will never be repeated and once this day is gone, it will never be lived again.

Successful people bookend their day. They start each morning by reading something inspirational, educational, informational, motivational, or biographical – learning from the successes and failures of other successful people. After they read, they spend time reflecting on how they will apply one thing they took from their reading and apply it to their lives today.  They then make a list of all the things they need to get done today, identify the most important tasks, the Big Three, and focus their energy and efforts there.

Many of them will also recite affirmations throughout the day, constantly reinforcing who they are becoming, and boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem in the process.  They live in an attitude of gratitude. They celebrate their wins, and those of others, and see failure as an event, a learning experience, not a defining of who they are.

They value people, and they constantly look for opportunities to add value to others.

Successful people see the challenges in life as opportunities. They see roadblocks as detours that take them on a journey of discovery to a place they may not have visited before, but will ultimately get them to where they want to be…or need to be, learning and experiencing new things along the way.

At the end of each day, successful people read. They reflect on what they learned from today’s wins and losses, and how they will apply what they learned to improve tomorrow.  They start a list of what needs to be done tomorrow so their subconscious mind can focus on it while they sleep.

They awake the next morning and start the process all over again.

This is how successful people, and those who want to become more successful, answer the daily question that greets them each morning:

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

I was on a mentorship call with Dr. John Maxwell today, and he shared an insight that Robert Schuller, longtime pastor of Crystal Cathedral, had shared with him in the early, formative days of Dr. John’s career as a leadership teacher.

Pastor Schuller said there are three important things you must do if you want to rise to your full potential, be successful, and be an effective leader. The first was to step up. When you know you’ve been called to greatness, you’ve got to answer that call. Successful people understand to win the race, you’ve first got to step up, walk onto the track, and start running.

Secondly, Pastor Schuller said you’ve got to stand out. If you’re content to remain where you are, as you are, unchanged, you’re not going to stand out. I talked about that in last week’s leadership lesson, “Are You In or Out?”  This is where character and values matter. This is where your reputation is defined. This is where you identify what cause you’re going to champion and how you’re going to make your distinctive mark in the world.

The third thing Pastor Schuller shared is that you’ve got to set yourself apart. What makes you unique or different?  What is it that attracts other people to you? When you do what no one else is doing, or you can do something better than anyone else in the world, you stand out, you get noticed, and you get ahead.

All three of these steps demand that you do daily what is required to become a better version of YOU, and to keep getting better each day. It requires that you be intentional about the way you live your life and the choices you make. You’ve got to lead yourself well. It also demands that you commit daily to personal growth.

It’s about daily, incremental change. One-percent change. Who can’t become one percent better today at something than they were yesterday?  If you repeat this process, becoming a mere one percent better at something each day, think of how far you will grow in only 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, or a year from now.

Or maybe, it is getting into the habit of doing One More. Whatever you’re doing now, do one more repetition of that each day.

Think this is hard?  Try this. 

Let’s assume you want to get in better shape and strengthen your core, and your first stretch goal is one hundred pushups. But, the only thing you’ve been working out is your thumb on the remote or your bicep as you’ve been shoveling popcorn in your mouth while you’re binge-watching Netflix.

However, today, that changes. Today, you’re going to start becoming a better version of YOU than the day before. So, what does that look like? 

Today, do one pushup. Tomorrow, do one more. The next day, do one more. Add one more repetition each day for the next 30 days. Keep this up for three months and you’re now doing 90 pushups a day.

Now apply the same strategy to becoming an avid reader.  Today, read one page of a book. Tomorrow, read two pages. The next day, three pages.  Keep adding one more page and before you know it, you’ve become a voracious reader – and think of all the collective wisdom and insight you’ve gleaned from the authors in the process.

Suppose you want to improve your focus and get more things done.

If you can only spend fifteen minutes at a time in focused effort on a task at home or work before you need a break, or get distracted, add one minute of focused effort to what you’re doing today. That’s 60 seconds of additional focus and attention to the task at hand. Tomorrow, add one more. The next day, one more. Before you know it, you are now spending hours in focused, intentional effort, getting more things done in less time.

These are but a few ways you become a better version of YOU each day.

As I wrap up this week’s lesson, I want to return to Og Mandino’s book, “The Greatest Salesman in the World.”  The success secret found in the third scroll is crucial to answering the daily question that greets you with the rising of the sun each morning:

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

The third scroll opens with these words, “I will persist until I succeed.”   

Persistency leads to consistency, and together these two things lead to more success in life.

Will you step up, stand out, and set yourself apart?

Will YOU do today what is required to become a better version of YOU than yesterday?

There are only two answers: Yes or No.

I believe everyone has been put on this Earth on purpose, for a purpose.

Fulfilling that purpose requires that you say YES to the question.

Remember, successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do sometimes, or not at all.

What will you do today, to become better? 

To learn, grow, mature, and improve?

In the immortal words of Og Mandino:

“Today I begin a new life. I will persist until I succeed.” 

P.S. If you want to read this timeless classic, which I highly recommend, here’s the Amazon link to “The Greatest Salesman in the World.”  It’s available in Kindle, paperback, or hardcover.  You may also enjoy “The Greatest Salesman in the World, Part II, The End of the Story”, also available on Amazon.com.