“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”—Benjamin Franklin
Improving. I have to remind myself daily: “Be your best today; be better tomorrow.” Kaizen—Japanese for “change for the better”. We need to have a growth plan.
Improvement is progressive. In exercise science, we teach that, for a body system to adapt, it must be stressed to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed. It applies to life, as well. If we want to get better at anything. It takes conscious effort. It takes intention.
I have encountered many who believe that, if you question the status quo, you are somehow being negative toward those or the practice that you seek to improve. This is a challenge for me, as I tent to believe that, no matter how good the current situation is, there is always room to improve. People may not like to hear this (and perhaps I am always not the best at how I relate this). It is a reality, however.
I’d like to think that the point of this blog has been all about improving. I write less to the readers than to myself. I am my worst critic. Moreover, I am my best champion. When my attitude (grattitude) is right, I find myself on the right side of self-criticism—kaizen.
So, yes, be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Everything is perfect and there is always room for improvement.”—Shunryu Suzuki