Learn To Improve

Day 20601

Each year I pick a focus word, something that will motivate me to achieve more in life and possibly in my business. This years word is “Improve”.

I know we always are trying to do better or at least we should be. We hear sayings such as “Be better than the person you were yesterday” but, when was the last time we actually focused on improving.

I’ve been trying to improve my health over the last couple of years in March of 2019 I decided to do away with soda’s and carbonated beverages. Pretty much just Minute Maid Lemonade, Tea, Juice, or water.

The thought behind this was to improve my joint health but in researching there are many effects of carbonated beverages on our body. As of this post I’ve still not had a soda or a carbonated beverage and I’ve seen improvements in different areas.

This year though I want to actually focus on improvement in various areas of preparedness and my abilities. I want to be more confident in areas that I self doubt myself in. I’m sure we all do this at one point or another.

It seems I feel the need to prove myself at times due to what is called Imposter Syndrome. That is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

I mean, I know I’ve done, or experienced the things I’ve said done, but a little voice in my head says “psst… they don’t believe you“. Why should it matter? I can only say I’ve been blessed to have seen the things I’ve seen, done the things I’ve done, and worked for or met some pretty awesome people in my life so far.

Why am I saying this well… I feel by sharing this with you and putting it in writting, it forces me to improve that part of myself that will make a better person moving forward.

If I want to be a better leader, speaker, coach, friend, husband, father, grandfather, or even a better disciple of my faith, I can’t have those words of doubt going through my head.

I’m also putting this in writing because, if we’re to improve we have to:

1. Determine what it is we want to improve.
2. Educate ourselves on how to improve it.
3. Document our starting point.
4. Give ourself points of measure to determine success.

If I want to be a better leader, speaker, coach, I need to work on confidence. Confidence will also help me be a better singer. I’m more of a backup singer currently but if I want to sing more I need to trust my timing of the music and lyrics.

In this case I’ll need to research how to build confidence in those areas. As I mentioned though, in these areas I have over 20+ years or more experience in. Music and art has pretty much always been a part of my life, as for the business aspects I’ve been working since I was 13 years old and have learned so much those nearly 43 years.

So for the most part, it’s just a matter of shutting off that voice and say you are good enough and then excepting that. I don’t need to prove it as the results will speak for themselves.

If I want to be a better family member and friend maybe listen to understand and not so as much listening to respond. And, to be a better disciple of my faith listening helps as well as knowing what to say and share at the right times.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.“

I think the final line of this is true for every area mentioned. “Equipped for every good work.” To be the best self we can be, we have to be equipped for the task at hand and to become equipped and our improved self we learn, study, journal, document and measure.

I hope that you achieve the goals you set out for yourself and if you have any questions or comments about anything I’ve written in this post please let me know in the comments below.