How Do You Get Better?

No matter who you are or what you do, you have the ability to improve.  Most people want to be a better spouse, parent, employer, employee, etc.  The challenge is in the "how."  They want to know how to improve but they don't know where to start.  This is one of my favorite topics.  The answer is in your mindset.  Ask yourself this question:  Am I capable of being better today than I was yesterday?  If the answer is "yes," you have already won half the battle.  If the answer is "no," we have work to do.  Here is the strategy I use to improve:

1. Every morning when you wake up, put a mental list together of my top priorities for the day.
2. Ask yourself, what do I need to do to get better results today than I got yesterday?
3. Throw out everything that didn't work yesterday and look for new approaches to become better today.
4. Put a high value on small improvements.  For example, the biggest challenge in my life right now is my mountain of debt.  This problem didn't suddenly appear in my life, it's the result of a life-time of bad habits.  When I go to bed tonight, I will think about all the choices I made today about reducing my debt.  The goal is to do one thing better today about reducing my debt.  That one thing will add up to 365 things at the end of each year.  If I keep improving, eventually I will be debt free.
5. Never give up.  Big problems are really a bunch of small challenges connected to each other.  Concentrate on one small challenge today.  Don't get overwhelmed by the big picture.  Your problem is like a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.  Find a way to connect two pieces of your puzzle today.  You don't need to complete the whole puzzle.  If you stay with it, eventually your puzzle will be complete, your problem will be solved and you will gain the self confidence necessary to get better at anything.

Now it's your turn to share one area of your life you want to improve.  Please leave your comments below.