How To Get Better at Anything

It’s my belief that what I can be, I must be. 

That it’s my obligation to become the best possible version of myself. Because of that, I’m constantly trying to get better. And I’m trying to do it every day. 

Within the past couple years, I got turned onto the idea of getting 1% better every day. Have you ever hear of that? It’s a simple, cool, and exciting idea. 

That I could get 100% in a relatively short amount of time is too good to pass up. 

What would it take for you to get 1% better? Does doing it seem realistic and attainable? I say, “Why not?” Why not figure out how to make it happen. 

Quickly about me: I’m a former D1 scholarship tennis player, turned Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor many years running. I share that simply to impress upon you that I know how to improve and get better. 

It’s my goal to give you what you need to get better, and to get better at anything. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Setting the intention

Taking a hard look

Closing the gap

The way forward

Let’s get started. 

Setting the intention

Desire is the common denominator of success. You must decide and commit to doing and getting what you want. 

Figure out what you really want and tell yourself, “I’m going to make this change.” Without knowing you, your situation and what you want to get better at, I’m going to assume that some kind of change is necessary. 

So why do you want to make the change and get better? 

Where do you want to be?

If you desire something different or better than you currently have, what do you want?  

Be clear in what you’d like your life (or specific area of your life) to look like. I encourage you to think about these six key areas:

Family life

Community life

Money and career

Personal development

Wellbeing

Peace of mind and contentment

You probably know how important goal setting is. I knew it for years. But it took me until I was 35 to actually start doing it. 

So, if you’re like me, you could benefit from a goal-setting framework. To help, you can access our Goals course for free. 

The only way to live how you want, is to know how you want to live. 

Taking a hard look

What do you want to get better at? How often do you think about it? 

We spend too much time doing and not enough time thinking. What are there things about your life you want to change? 

Answering these questions as honestly and thoughtfully as you can will greatly help your process: 

• What are your thoughts and feelings about the change you want to make?

• How would you like to feel about it?

• What changes will you need to make to feel that way?

• What would happen if you made those changes?

• What will you do? 

Your current patterns

We all have predictable patterns and behaviors we go through. I do almost the same things every morning and every evening. My routines help me get everything done.

You arrived here by doing the things you’ve always done. While I’m sure you’re an amazing and incredible person, we could all use some upgrades. 

In order to change, you’ll need to break free of the patterns and behaviors keeping you stuck and unhealthy. 

Take some time to think through and answer these questions:

• How have you tried to improve this area in the past? 
• How did you go about it (be as specific as possible)?
• How long have you been feeling like you need to make a change?
• Have you tried anything that worked? 
• How has it impacted you (monetarily, psychologically, physiologically)?
• How frustrated are you right now? 

We all need to interrogate our realities, and take that look in the mirror seriously. The more honest we can be about where we need to improve, the better. 

Now, I’m not advocating you beat yourself up. Rather, be thoughtful and aware of where you’re wanting to improve. 

Closing  the gap

When you go through the Goals course, you’ll learn about the difference between identity and achievement. We’ve got a backwards way of thinking about goals and achievement. 

Instead of setting a goal to lose weight, and then being happy and satisfied when you accomplish it, I want you to start identifying as a strong, healthy and athletic person. 

When you shift your identity, you’re no longer chasing goals and achievement. You’re simply working to get better every day. It’s a really important shift in the way you think. 

Think about the difference like this:

• The old way of thinking was, “Once I get that promotion, then I’ll be leading a life of significance.”

• The new way is this, “I’m leading a life of significance, and all my accolades and promotions are a byproduct.”

Creating and embracing your new identity will put you in a position to be leveling up every day. You’ll be comparing yourself only against yourself from yesterday. 

The way forward 

What will it take to get better and get what you want? Once you make the changes you want, the last thing I want is for you to give back your gains. 

How to make this your new level 

The term Yo-Yo diet refers to the phenomenon that occurs when someone gets motivated to lose weight, takes drastic action, then regains the weight once they stop the drastic action. 

I want you to avoid falling prey to the Yo-Yo effect, regardless of the change you desire. Earlier, I talked about locking in your gain. That simply means creating new habits and procedures to make your next level your level.  

Your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

• Checklists. One day, perhaps many of the things you need to be successful will be second nature. Until that day, make a checklist for everything that needs doing. For example, if you meal prep on Sundays for the week, make a checklist of all the ingredients and the process for making the meals.  

• Calendar. What gets scheduled, gets done. If you don’t put all of your important activities into your calendar, they’ll get bumped by some other “emergency.” For example, schedule all of your important family activities from practices, to family dinners, to date night with your significant other.  

• Automate. The more we can take our hands off the wheel, the better. For example, set up automatic payments for all of your bills, including credit cards. Set up recurring contributions for all of your saving and investment accounts. 

• Delegate. Get a trainer, a coach, or join a mastermind. If there’s an area you lack in, find someone or something that can support you in your change.  

You and I have enough time to do most anything we want. 

If you want to start a business, you can do it. Want to run a marathon? Let’s go. 

And I also know we don’t have time to waste. The time to get better is now. Get started.

I truly and honestly hope you’ve taken something away from this, and that you use it to make your life better. 

If you’d like to jump start your change, check out the Strive Online Bootcamp. It could be just the catalyst you’re looking for!

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We’re here to help others get better so they can live freely without regret Believing we’ve each got one life, it’s better to live it well and the time to start is now If you’re someone who believes change begins with you, you’re one of us We’re working to inspire action, enable completion, knowing that, as Thoreau so perfectly put it “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” Let us help you invest in yourself and bring it all together.

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