Every day, try to do one percent better with something. Then, in a few months, you’ll be 100% better at it than you were.
This was advice my father expressed to me the other day. Quite wise. Did he come up with it all on his own? Doubt it.
“Inch by inch is a cinch.” Chunking. Micro-tasking. The philosophy has gone by many names and phrases over the years and it is no less true today. No offense, dad.
The problem is, simple as it may be in theory, it’s much harder in practice.
Maybe you say you’ll start exercising every day even if it’s just twenty minutes at first (not that you can’t get an incredible workout in in twenty minutes). But you don’t. Or maybe you do for a week or two. But you fade out of it.
Or you want to teach yourself to play the guitar. So you buy the books, the guitar, and you look up some videos. But you stop almost as fast as you started.
“I’m just so unmotivated.” Of course you are. Motivation is as fickle as my dog when someone has food.
Instead, practice discipline. Discipline is what sets people above the rest.
Discipline is the honest commitment you make to yourself when you want to achieve something. It’s the Olympic athlete waking up at 3 am to practice. It’s the soldier staying awake and focused for 36 hours straight.
It’s you, setting a goal and working towards it every day. Even when you don’t want to. Even if you only progress one percent each day.
One percent isn’t hard. The hardest part about it is that you have to actually do it. And that’s not hard either.
I know we all have our lives and things to attend to and things that wear us out. It’s no wonder we’re unmotivated. That’s where discipline reigns supreme.
In fact, you may already have some discipline within you. One could assume you actually do those things that need tending to and those things that wear you out. Does that not take at least a hint of discipline? Consider what would happen if you applied that to your personal goals and aspirations.
I wanted to write this today because I myself am currently in the process of setting new goals. I admit, the last time I sat down and set goals for myself, I did not practice what I’m preaching. I intend to do it honestly this time. I do not intend to repeat the mistake. I hope you don’t either.
Remember, all either of us has to do is one percent better.
Thank you for reading.