Edition 11: Self-improvement
Hello friends! This topic of self-improvement is easier for me to write about because I have a lot to improve upon and I want to!
My last episode on Faith is my most difficult topic and self-improvement is one of my more enjoyable topics for me. Please check out my prior editions about Faith, Family, Finance, and Self-improvement and share my website with a friend or two.
Whether we are smart or not, our lives end about the same time. The impact we have on others might be the best measure of our success. I am not and cannot judge.
What I can do is share some of my lessons and learnings. This might help someone and it helps me too.
The late Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch included the line, "put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others," in his bestselling book The Last Lecture. At first, it might sound and feel selfish. It might be, that said, very likely it might NOT be selfish because if our oxygen mask is on when things are difficult we can help more people.
Lesson #1: Work on yourself, before you try to work on others.
Lesson #2: Like compounding interest on money, the earlier you can positively impact yourself, the more likely you can help others. If you feel good about yourself, you help more people and you likely feel even better about yourself, giving you motivation to help more people.
Lesson #3: Giving a gift to someone else can be very powerful. Ask yourself, do I give a gift for a birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc…to make the other person feel better or do I give the gift because I feel better? Regardless of your reason, when you feel good about yourself, you are likely to make others feel good too and the action(s) repeat.
I am a few months into posting on my website and I relate my experience to this quote.
“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." - Cyril Connolly
For me, the act of writing has been challenging and rewarding. I had read about or listened to many coaches over time talking about the importance of learning, getting better each day, and writing things down. I am forever grateful to have had a great High School Football coach, Coach Barta, at Smith Center, Kansas. This month marks the one-year anniversary of his passing. I will always appreciate and celebrate Coach Barta for the many lives he positively impacted. Coach Barta was very smart and great in many ways.
As I reflect upon Coach Roger Barta, these are the things that come to my mind.
You can accomplish more than you think you can, I believe in you…we will like each other and eventually love each other, together we can change the world – Coach Roger Barta
Believe in yourself, do your job to the best of your abilities, and you can help those around you. Be the best you can be to help the team.
“I know it’s tough, you are really tired, and nearly ready to quit. But if you pick up your foot, I promise that God will put it down for you.” – Coach Roger Barta
Keep moving, don’t stop. Some people believe in you more than you might believe in yourself. Surround yourself with great people who encourage you. Have faith in the Lord.
Whether you think you can, or can’t, you are right – Henry Ford
You can do more than you might imagine, work hard, and take some calculated risks. Your mindset likely determines your outcome.
I would not ask you to do anything I don’t think you can do. Likely, I believe you can do more than you think you can. – Coach Roger Barta
Be around people who believe in you. Talk to yourself, like you would talk to someone else who needs encouragement. You can likely do more than you might imagine and you likely can have great impact on others too.
Be humble, smart, work hard
You don’t know everything.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. – Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life OR This Was Your Life! Preparing to Meet God Face to Face by Rich Howard and Jamie Lash
Be confident, calm and collected. At the same time, be aggressive towards living a full life.
There is nothing noble about being superior to your fellow man, True nobility comes from being superior to ones former self." - Ernest Hemingway
We are not that special. In many ways, we can be extraordinary by being the best we can be.
This can be difficult, but sometimes we think of the 5 people that have a better life, house, car, etc. Instead, we should think about how we have improved.
It’s a game of inches, the little things can make a big difference. – I give credit to Coach Roger Barta for repeating it over and over and over and over….
Control the controllable and leave the rest for God. We made some mistakes tonight. The good news is that they are all correctable mistakes. We will get better or get worse. I believe in you… – Coach Roger Barta
Don’t dwell on past mistakes. Admit them, learn from them, and move on to trying something again. The Bible teaches us a lot about learning from mistakes, forgiveness of sins, and the opportunity to do better.
Most overnight successes took a long time – Steve Jobs
There is likely no “easy” street. Most millionaires did not inherit their money. They worked hard, took calculated risks, were very motivated, and could move others.
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago or now – Chinese proverb
Just start
Make a friend today – Coach Roger Barta
Books and Podcasts:
Books:
Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great
by Joshua Medcalf
The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
Podcasts/Videos:
The Good Life: A Discussion with Dr. Robert Waldinger | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health AND Harvard Second Generation Study
pic by Mike Hofer - Farm in Kansas
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