Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Small Improvements
I’m pretty certain earlier in the year I told myself, “Don …you’re going to do one thing every day to make yourself better.”
And then . . . I didn’t.
Today I got an email from Intelligent Change linking me to this article and I decided, hey, start today. Start now.
So often we convince ourselves that change is only meaningful if there is some large, visible outcome associated with it. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, traveling the world or any other goal, we often put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about.
I’m guilty of that. I need to think of it like this . . .
Improving by just 1 percent isn’t notable (and sometimes it isn’t even noticeable). But it can be just as meaningful, especially in the long run.
One extra half-hour of quality sleep. Followed by 20 minutes of swinging a kettle bell. Followed by writing for 15 minutes. Small. But daily, I can beat depression and anxiety while focusing better at work and, generally, being happier (because of quality sleep). I can lose 10 pounds (because of a kettle bell routine). I can write a novel (because of 15 minutes of daily writing).
I hate to admit this in such a public forum, but looking at my last 4 or 5 months, I’m on the wrong trajectory if I’m following the chart
Read this. I read it while eating at my desk and the sun is shining and happy Christmas music is playing on the overhead speakers and I decided to make a 1% improvement immediately. Hence. A 15-minute blog entry. Yay, me!
Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.
—Jim Rohn
Don Kowalewski 