A Better You: The year of self-improvement

Welcome to the New Year 2020.

It’s a weird number to look at and if you are old enough, I am sure you imagined when we reached this timeline, we would have flying
cars, robot maids and hoverboards.

The world has not yet produced these cool gadgets but make no mistake the world has made light year leaps in technology and the next 10 years are going to be unlike anything we have ever seen.

I am sure you have your pen and paper out and busy writing down your New Year’s resolution like you do every year, but you have to be honest with yourself – why haven’t you achieved some of your goals?

You are designed to fail because you need a success plan, daily framework, an accountability partner, some serious desire and motivation to take action and a support structure to keep you going.

That’s why you don’t make it past the first couple of hurdles.

There is just so much that you need to get right in order to succeed.

The odds are just not in your favour.

The simple solution, don’t write anything down, don’t worry about improving yourself, your financial success or your family’s stability.

Don’t worry about that dream job, sexy body or a good opulent lifestyle.

Don’t do any of that because it’s just too much hard work to be successful.

Problem solved, stop reading further!

You are probably thinking right now WTF?

That right deep down, these words of failure don’t resonate with you and that is why you are reading further because deep down you want better.

To be successful it all starts with your first step, once you gained your balance, then take the step forward, learn from your mistakes on each step and then take another.

Your number one goal that you need to focus on is keeping the momentum going, no matter how small the achievement, no matter how tough the obstacles, you MUST keep moving by taking the next step.

What you will start to find out is that when you look back, you have taken too many steps to quit now so by design you will keep moving forward.

On your journey towards your goals, your road will shape and bend and you will pivot in various directions.

This is normal, often the place you though you would be in isn’t where you ended up because opportunities came along you could not refuse.

All of this is brought about by moving, one simple action – That is moving!

Let me give you a practical example.

Let’s say you need to find a new job in a country like South Africa were jobs are so scarce.

Don’t go hand in your resignation and tell your boss to go flip himself.

Instead make the most of your opportunities you have right now.

You have a pay cheque, you are paying the bills, now sharpen your skillsets so that you become more valuable in the market.

There are tons of courses you can do online that will teach you how to communicate better, how to do your job or future job more proficient.

Take the time, study after hours or night school, do what it takes to change your circumstance because understand one thing about a
boss, he will not pay you more for the same skillsets you were hired to do!

He will only pay you more if you add value, save money or make them more money than they expected you to do. If they don’t, well then you become a value proposition for someone else needing your skills.

When you start to do well in your job, you expect more pay, you expect a better increase and you expect a promotion.

Expect nothing with your arrogance, because 98% of the time you won’t get it unless you are the lucky one.

It is hard for a boss not to recognise excellence in, work ethics, sales, customer relations and self-learning.

Businesses want people who are of value to their establishment.

Each establishment is different, and you need to find out what is important to them.

In my business of sports science training and recovery, we are high on customer relationships and work ethic.

Communication is the number one golden key in my business, next it is client relationships, daily research and learning and adding value through our various channels.

When I start to get compliments about my staff, about how amazing they are, I can’t help as a boss to want to reward them.

If their behaviour is consistent then I will action on it and hence even though through a recession, all my staff will be getting an increase this February.

By no means are my staff perfect, and I can pull my hair out at times in the back-engine room but what is of value to be in my business, they are hitting those marks time and time again.

Hell, or high water as a business owner, if they look after our “bread and butter” AKA our clients and customers then I will move
heaven and earth for them to earn a better salary.

Find out what key value your environment needs and then overachieve on them. Become someone of outstanding value and if you move on, you will leave a void in their hearts, ease into the year to get you started by doing these things and when they are done, plan for tomorrow and repeat.

Keep moving forward.

1. Start by doing 1 push up

2. Start by drinking 1 cup of water

3. Start by paying towards 1 debt

4. Start by reading 1 page

5. Start by learning 1 new skill

6. Start by making 1 sale

7. Start by deleting 1 old contact

8. Start by walking 1 lap

9. Start by attending 1 event

10. Start by writing 1 paragraph

START TODAY, REPEAT TOMORROW.

Sean van Staden is a sport scientist. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanVStaden or visit advancedsp.co.za.

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