Improvement begins with I. – Arnold H. Glasgow also seen spelled as Glasow
What must you do to improve your life this year? Or do you intend to leave it to chance?
What does that mean?
This is just one of those obvious quotes, isn’t it? How are you going to improve? Will random chance cause a spontaneous improve-ment? Or will you have to do some work on it?
Change happens, you don’t need to do a thing. Nature is change, the Universe is change. It just keeps happening, but in what appear to be random directions.
Improvement, on the other hand, is a change with a specific outcome and a specific direction. That does not happen without some effort, and the only one who can provide that effort? I think you know the answer.
If you want change, chance will do that for you easily enough. If you want improvement, you’re going to have to get involved.
Why is improvement important?
So, what will you do to improve yourself in this New Year? What about you, your situation or circumstances, or your lifestyle do you believe is in need of some work? Again, change will happen, but at random times, in random parts of your life, and going in random directions.
What are the chances that this change will be an improvement? Probably a pretty small chance, right? That is where the ‘I’ (or in your case, you) from the quote comes in. What are you going to do about it? Without you, there really isn’t going to be much improvement, just change.
So, we know we are going to have to get involved. But why isn’t simple change good enough? Why do we have to improve? I don’t believe that one can stand still. One is either improving or decaying. Skills and abilities need practice, or they will deteriorate. Nothing stays the same.
Do you have anything in your life you wish to improve? Have you any New Year Resolutions which might be improvements? Eating healthier? Cutting back or quitting a less than desirable habit? Perhaps a little more exercise? Why do you feel a need to improve? Take a moment and consider why is it important to you.
Where can I apply this in my life?
While I am an engineer, I try to improve only for a reason, not simply to make something more wonderful or complex. That goes for my work, my hobbies as well as for me. I took typing classes not because I liked to type, but because it improved my ability to do my job and my hobby. Now it helps me with this blog as well.
I mentioned a couple of fairly standard New Year Resolutions in the prior section. How many resolutions do you have, and how many fit into one of those categories of improvement? The only real question is will you bring the ‘I’ in, and work to make the improvement, or will you just make the resolution?
For many of us, there is a lack of action. Without the action, the chance of actual improvement is rather small. It isn’t impossible, but neither is it very likely. So to make an improvement, one of the key things that the ‘I’ will have to do is to select what to improve, and to take action.
Action rarely happens without commitment. The level of commitment is usually tied to a motivating factor. “I will lose 20 pounds by summer.” That isn’t very motivational. “I will lose 20 pounds by summer, because the reunion is then, and I’m going to look great for it!”
I think that the second statement has more motivation built in. I also believe that it will bring a little more commitment to the goal, and there fore a lot more action towards attaining that particular improvement. At least that has been my experience. Do you agree?
Think about your history, your past. What has helped you get things accomplished? What has been the difference between getting things done and having the attempt fail? Do you see a similar pattern? What kind of motivation tends to work the best for you?
Knowing what motivates you can make all the difference between getting the improvement accomplished and giving up. Take a moment and really try to figure out what motivations work, and how you can apply them to the improvements you have already selected to work on in the coming year.
It might help to grab some paper and write down both the resolution, or goal, as well as the motivation regarding why you must accomplish it. The imperative of “must” is powerful, so use it to your advantage. Also make sure you have a date attached to that goal, or you may find it sliding into next year, and then the year after that.
Change happens, but improvement takes effort and that comes from you.
From: Twitter, @DavidRoads
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/arnoldhgl105696.html
Photo by Roberto Ventre
Related articles
- Another New Year, Another Resolution (mattullrich.wordpress.com)
- Happy New Year! Now hurry up and change your life around. (thewatertrough.typepad.com)
- Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick! (freedom-muse.com)
- New Year Resolutions (undercoverwear.wordpress.com)
- New Years Resolutions (cuteandtailored.wordpress.com)
