There’s a famous quote attributed to Saint Augustine: “Oh, Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.”
I think that’s how many of us often feel about self-improvement. We want to be a better person, a better leader, a more critical thinker. We intend to plan more, read more and save more. We want to be thinner, smarter, healthier, wealthier, etc. But often, the changes we need to make to achieve these goals become the very stumbling blocks to being good (and getting better) in various areas of our lives.
Change is hard. In fact, it can be real hard, and that’s why so many people resist it. You might remember the Dilbert cartoon when he said, “Change is good—you go first.”
But what better time to take a chance on change than the New Year, which is so full of promise and promises? It’s really the only time when we get an official “do over.”
With the prospect of a fresh start right now (and the certainty that you’ll only get busier), I’d like to offer the first of three ways to Be Good—and Get Better—in 2024. Embrace these key strategies, and I guarantee you will do what you do better.
We’ll start today with the power of good habits.
Your habits—good or bad—determine your degree of success in anything you do. Take time to focus on your habits, especially those good habits that lead to accomplishments. Think of habits as a kind of behavioral autopilot. Be authentic with yourself and consider this: Are your habits leading you toward what you want to achieve? Or are they getting in your way?
I believe that one of the most important habits you can develop is the good habit of believing in yourself. Let’s turn to football to discuss:
In the last blog post of 2023, I asked if you had had a winning year. In football parlance, was yours a 9-1 or a 1-9 season (year)? Let’s take that a little further and consider two different teams with two different records of winning. One is finishing the season 9-1, the other is disappointed with a 1-9 record. The more successful team is in the habit of winning, while the other team is in the unfortunate habit of losing. What would happen if either of these teams started the third quarter down 20 points? The numbers and situation might be the same, but they’ll have very different beliefs in their ability to come from behind and win. Team 1, with a habit of winning and a history of success, would have more confidence that they, ultimately, can win. On the other hand, Team 2, with a habit of failing, likely would have very little confidence in coming out ahead. Chances are, they won’t.
In business, you’ll see the same thing. If you find yourself coming into this year dogged by bad habits and dwelling on thoughts of a losing (or less than stellar) last year, you’ll begin at a disadvantage. Having faith in yourself and your abilities goes a long way to helping you overcome obstacles.
Then, develop the good habit of forgetting the past, because there is no future in last year! If you are not where you want to be, do things differently. Even if you are at the top of your game, you still have to have (and maintain) a winning strategy going forward because life is unpredictable!
Get in the good habit of looking for early wins in whatever you are trying to do. Financial guru Dave Ramsey talks about getting out of debt using his “Debt Snowball Plan.” He says to ignore the logic of paying off the highest-interest-rate debts first; instead, he says, you should go ahead and pay off the smallest debts to give yourself some momentum. Long-term success often is about finding short-term, small successes along the way. Celebrate even small wins.
I also suggest you adopt the good habit of accountability. Look for an accountability partner and/or mentor to help you stay on track, boost your confidence when necessary, and develop (and keep) good habits that steer you toward success.
Finally, ask yourself: What do I want to do more of, less of or stop doing altogether? That’s a good way to figure out which good habits you want to cultivate and which bad habits you need to drop.