Steps to Real Awesomeness

Pick Your One Thing

Most of us overestimate our awesomeness. And, if we are lucky enough to get competent feedback, we feel defensive.

Maybe we should be thankful.

To become your “Best Self”, you need people who are aware of your weaknesses or bad habits and are willing to help you view a potential blind spot.

Once you get the truth, what do you do?

Prepare a hierarchy list of behaviors you would like to improve. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. One the left side, put down all the skills you want to improve. On the right side, on a scale of one to ten, write down (for each skill) how much more awesome your life and/or work would be if you really improved at it.

Then start with the skill sporting the highest number and get to work. Get books, get help, get a coach, take a seminar… Do everything you can think of to improve just this One Thing.

Years ago, I did this with procrastination and I worked on this one thing faithfully. Now, I rarely, if ever, put things off.  If I do, it is a strategic decision and has everything to do with priorities.

Now, I am working on Emotional Resilience.  If someone insults me or treats me badly, I am learning to let go of it. I don’t want to drag the bad feeling with me all day and evening. I don’t want to lose sleep because of it or wake in the middle of the night with “the perfect retort” I should have shot back.  If it isn’t something I need to resolve like a conflict with family or at work, it needs to be out of my life.

What is your ONE THING? What are you going to do starting today to make you splendid in this skill? Imagine how your life is when your are awesome at this ONE THING. Practice daily!! Don’t give up. Excellence is not inborn. You earn it through daily practice.

Plan what you are going to do toward this goal every day. Jump out of bed each morning, raise your arms up toward the sky and say:

“Today I’ll work on getting excellent at my ONE THING!”

And then do it.