Be better than yesterday. It’s that simple. When it comes to working out and achieving our fitness goals, it can be easy to get caught up in the routine, in the goal-setting, in the challenge. Take two steps back and remember that small movements forward add up fast.
Instead of aiming to be like someone you look up to or aiming to be at your end goal, focus on being better than yesterday. You will not be able to become like your role model or achieve your end goal overnight. Before you know it, with becoming better everyday, you will have reached your goals!
How can you implement this in your life?
1. Identify what you want to be “better” at.
Start by figuring out what you want to improve on. Rather than focusing on the end result, focus on where you are now and if this is something you would like to improve on daily. In fitness, this may be improving performance on an exercise or your mindset when you show up. In life, this may be keeping in contact with friends and family or being more organized. It is easy to get overwhelmed thinking about the areas we want to improve, but identifying these things is the first step towards going from where you are now to where you want to be.
2. Aim to be 2% better each day.
Once you know what you want to improve, aim to be just 2% better each day. Basically, the idea is to just do something small to work towards the areas you want to improve. For example, if you want to improve your performance on squats, work to get a little deeper each day or perfect your form. If you want to become more organized in your life, start with one area of your house per day. The little things truly do add up. Plus, when you view your progress towards your goal as just something small each day, it becomes easier to attain. When looking at your goal as a whole, it can become overwhelming. Stick to what you need to do now or today to see the best progress.
3. Reflect.
Finally, it is important to evaluate your progress with reflection. Ask yourself, am I better at _____ than I was yesterday? Insert your own goal in the blank, but this question can be used to evaluate your progress towards your goals in all areas of your life. With a consistent commitment to becoming better each day, you will be surprised how far you come. Imagine just one week of focusing on your fitness goal or one week of prioritizing your relationships. Whatever your goal may be, taking small, but consistent steps forward is the most important part. You may not notice a difference day-to-day, but in the long run, you will look back and may be a lot closer to your goal than when you first started.