I’m sure many of you recognize this quote from the Dos Equis beer commercials featuring “the most interesting man in the world.” As Cinco de Mayo is coming up, I figured it would be a good time to break out this famous line.
Although I enjoy cracking open a cold beer at the end of a long day, this post is not about beer. I want to talk about a different kind of thirst: being thirsty for self-improvement, innovation and motivation.
Each day as you focus on honing the fundamentals and showing meaningful improvement, it is a good idea to pay special attention to the things that are helping you make progress. Too often when we talk about self-improvement and motivation we think we need new skills and new approaches to accomplish our goals. We sometimes fail to notice the ways in which the things we are already doing can, with a little extra push, get us to our goals.
That’s why I try to write down 5 bullet points at the end of each day indicating things I accomplished that day. These points include personal and professional achievements, as well as addressing the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of my life. If I went to the gym and had a good workout, that’s an accomplishment worth noting just as much as making 50 cold calls.
As I review these points on a daily and weekly basis it allows me to notice things that are working for me. Maybe I can look back and realize that I was more productive on the days when I went to the gym before work. Maybe I’m more confident during the week after I go to church. The things we do outside of the workplace can have a big impact on our attitudes and achievements in our careers, so it is important to pay attention to them.
This regular review of the positive things also helps me adjust my attitude. During good weeks it provides me with further motivation, reminding me of all the things I can get done if I just put in a little more effort. During bad weeks, it reminds me of my past accomplishments and gives me confidence that no matter how bad things look now, I can come back and have success again.
Although we often focus only on the climb up the proverbial mountain, this regular self-reflection is especially important once we’ve reached our goals and are at the top of our respective fields. Believe it or not, it is much harder to stay at the top than it is to get there in the first place. We work so hard to reach the top that we tend to get complacent when we get there. We start slacking off, stop growing personally and professionally and think that because we’re at the top we know all the answers.
Regular self-reflection can help you catch these things. If you start to notice your production falling off, you can look back at your accomplishments each day for clues as to the reason why. For example, if your list of accomplishments never includes anyone besides you, maybe you are falling into the trap of thinking you have all the answers and can do everything on your own. If you realize that your stress levels have been climbing lately, you can look back to a time when you were less stressed and note the differences in your habits. Perhaps you’ve cut back on your weekly gym time, and that is starting to show in your attitude.
The best way to get to the top and stay there is to be thirsty – thirsty for personal and professional growth and achievement. If you want continued success in your career, make sure you continue to “stay thirsty” even after you’ve reached the top.
And don’t forget to pop a cold one every now and then and enjoy a break from the daily grind!
Have a great weekend,
Ro