I have a saying that has guided my life for a long time:
“Be better and better be.”
It was inspired by a quote from the Brazilian novelist, Paulo Coelho, who in his novel “The Alchemist” wrote, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” Another popular quote from motivational speaker, Les Brown, puts it in a more visual sense: “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
When we push ourselves beyond our limits of mediocrity and adopt a growth mindset we can improve our life in so many ways.
This concept is also related to something I call the “peak effect.” When we are at the base of a mountainous goal looking up, oftentimes you can’t see what’s beyond it. All you see is the enormity of the mountain. Once at its peak, though, you have the perspective to see just how far you climbed and feel an attendant sense of accomplishment. Standing at peak you also can see the view that was previously blocked of a mountain range of additional and often higher mountains. Thus, the peak effect invigorates us to keep improving, tackling new challenges, and continuing on our path to betterment.
For the naysayers and those who just want to rest in the comfort of contentment, think about what former U.S. Commissioner of Patents Charles Holland Duell purportedly declared at the close of the nineteenth century:
“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
History obviously proved him very wrong. There’s always room for improvement and greater things are ahead we cannot even fathom.
A common limitation to betterment, other than a lack of desire, is knowing where to begin. Indeed many goals stall out at the starting gate. The main culprit is that we lack insight and focus. It’s hard to inwardly identify how best to improve and it’s easier to compare ourselves to others and create generic goals to be like them or to have what society tells us to have. But these aren’t personal to us and are not specific, which is why these easily fail.
A better first step towards being a better “me” is to be honest with ourselves.
What brings us happiness and how can we do more of that?
What irritates us about ourselves and how can we change?
The daily tolerations which cause us continual and mounting stress are also good fodder for self-improvement goals. Even a goal to simply fix that leaky faucet is an example of you identifying an action that can improve your life and mindset.
What’s worked best for me is to think back to where I was at this time exactly one year ago and write out what life looked like back then. It allows me to reflect on all the wins and losses and take stock in both. I then use my wins to inspire new challenges and my misses as indicators of where I can improve.
No matter how big and hairy or seemingly small, goals are just a wish if we don’t put a plan together for them. I like to follow the S.M.A.R.T. method in creating goals:
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Time-Bound.
For example, saying “I want to be in better health this year is just a wish, while committing to a specific health goal such as running a 10K by March 15th is much S.M.A.R.T.’er.
When it comes to being “Your Best Me in ‘23”, as the popular Marvin Gaye song goes, “Ain’t no mountain high enough.”
So get out there and start climbing to be the best “Me” in ’23.
