1% Better Each Day

When I was ten I wanted to be a ballerina, a writer, a spy, a superhero, and a teacher.

How has that worked out so far?

Well, I danced for 20 years. I love to write, but blogs are my creative outlet of choice . . . . . readership reaches the thousands some weeks.  But I have not figured out how to be a spy or superhero yet. I have taught, still teach, and probably will teach for as long as I can speak.

When I was fifteen I decided I just might want to be a lawyer.  At twenty I realized I had an aptitude for event planning, juggling college and three jobs.  My academic journey continued to offer too many great choices. Dance, Kinesiology, Pedagogy, Audiology, Linguistics, Philosophy.   And so it went. I became a master of some subjects and a perpetual apprentice of more interests than I can count. But each and every interest taught me and shaped me and guided me onward.

Recently I have been mentoring teenagers, many of whom lament, “I’m 17 and I feel like I am not ready to make big decisions about my future.  I have so many interests and I have no idea what to major in. I have no idea what I really want to do in life.”

There’s a simple approach to this kind of thinking and it is important for people of all ages:  Be open to God's plan for you. Pray. Do things that give Him glory and that interest you. It all adds up. 

"If you try to get 1% better each day at your health, at your relationships and the way you treat people, at your creativity, and at turning despair into gratitude, then that 1% compounds into an amazing person.

Do that 1%. Take one action. Even if the actions is for one minute. It is the 1% rule.

I know this. Because I’m still compounding. What is 1%? Whatever you want it to be. The math of life is multi-dimensional."  (~James Altucher - paraphrased)

Make goals - yes. But do not fret about what you do or do not accomplish. Because, except for your relationship with God, there is no ONE thing you focus on exclusively everyday.  There is EVERY thing. And every day. 

Even our relationship with God cannot be boiled down to ONE thing (or action). There is EVERY thing -- prayer, scripture, sacraments, tithing, evangelizing . . . . . 

Remember that the 1% runs consistently alongside your goals. Applying the 1% better each day  rule, will make your days more challenging - but in a good way. This rule will keep you focused, passionate, and resolved.

Here are some people who accomplished things late in life. I am sure they have applied the rule to their lives. I would wager that they have applied the 1% better each day rule to their lives.  I admire all of them. 

There is no ONE thing. There is EVERY thing