What exactly does it mean to get 1% better every day?
Another “you only know if you know” kind of word play
Hello friends, 👋
I’m back to you today with our weekly Super Sunday post.
This week I will explore a topic that one of the lovely followers commented with.
“How can I get 1% better everyday, exactly?”
A light bulb lit up in my head when she had asked. 💡
Indeed, for someone who is just starting their journey with self-improvement (no matter the age), to hear something as “extreme, ambiguous, or absurd” as this would sound intimidating and push them away from self-improvement.
While others get curious, having trust and faith in the possibility of growth and self-improvement, start voicing their lack of understanding publicly in search for knowledge.
Those are the winners!
Curiosity is one of the essential forces of life, along with courage, which is another essential force of life:
Curiosity drives the soft/more grounded virtues of: Curiosity (itself), Compassion, and Celebration.
While courage drives the sharper/more active virtues of: Courage (itself), Confidence, and Commitment.
Similar to the yin and yang; opposites but interconnected.
A long detour to say, I applaud your curiosity and love for learning - Zina!👏
So what exactly is 1% better every day?
Well, it is based on a mathematical principle called the “aggregate marginal gains” and popularized by Jame’s Clear mention in his book Atomic Habits.
“Get 1% better every day and by the end of the year you are 37X better!”
Pretty slick at first glance, eh?
But when you put the numbers together then it doesn’t make much sense. What does it mean to be 37X better? That’s like God-level!
An infinite possibility - an impossibility; and making the 1% an impossibility by relation too.
Which reminds me of this article I saw that I found so funny, check it out 😂
Stop Telling Me to Improve 1% Every Day
Self-improvement “extremists” run with such statements without any thought, mindlessly running around making claims that are absurd and comic.
These aren’t winners, they’re obsessing with just for fame and they’re always the ones with the loudest words, filling up your feeds with much noise.
And they may be happy genuinely, you never know, so I’m not judging them.
But they may just be plain annoying. To me.
And on that topic, it reminds me of this funny clip, check it out 😂
I mean come on bro, you manipulated THE TIME? The fourth dimension itself? Stacking imaginary days?
The other type, who are more “logical” would right away reject this notion. They prefer living a more “real” life with things that “add up”. So they reject it fully, and end up losing too.
Because they missed on a learning that can be transformational.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Sometimes people just want to show off how “amazing” they are, by how “extreme” they can go, and how this other way of living is only for the elite. Then they start making claims that are unrealistic.
I agree with the article and the argument that the math doesn’t add up, so let’s take it with a “grain of rice” as he ended.
But let’s take some of it, instead of fully rejecting it.
Allow ourselves to hold a high standard WHILE knowing that we are wise humans who understand it won’t always be high all the time.
We need to oscillate.
Everything in nature oscillates: your breath, your heart rate, the day and night, etc...
It is a natural existence that we can only benefit from respecting and living by. The Industrial Revolution had brain washed us with the expectation that we need to be 100% on all the time.
That’s not possible.
And that gap in expectation versus the reality (where unarguably it needs to go down to 0% as well) becomes the source of all dissatisfaction and discontent.
Mental well-being can be simply achieved by living in line with what we can’t deny around us; nature’s way of oscillating.
Therefore, if we are wise enough to understand we need to oscillate to allow ourselves the times when we are not at 100%, then we can benefit from keeping a “lifestyle” of going for extreme productivity whenever we are done with recovery.
I will be 1% every one of those days.
Fully committed, will reward myself for showing up, and will celebrate them and be proud of them.
So, how do I become 1% better each of those days?
Well, now with the mindset that we are ALL IN when we are in, 100% ON, we benefit from having an extreme high standard to that day.
Be the best version you can be that day.
In each of your interactions show up the best way you can.
With balanced attitudes which that I call Super Attitudes:
Courage
Confidence
Curiosity
Commitment
Celebration
Compassion
In all interactions, with yourself, others, and the world around you (your reality).
All my studying to date (and I’ve been at this for more than a decade now), I have seen that every single explanation of good character and character strengths/virtues, either is under one of these six Super Attitudes or it is an attitude produces through a combination of two or more of them interacting together.
So to be 1% better everyday is to show up with a healthy balance of these attitudes.
Moment-to-moment.
Stacked into hours, days, months, years, and a lifetime.
A continuous process of growth and discovery.
You can check in with yourself everyday against each of the 6 attitudes and rate yourself from 1-10 to see how much of the 1% (infinite potential) you managed to show up with that day.
And choosing to do better the next day.
Tracking improves performance.
And with this I want to wish you an awesome day ahead.
Have a Super Sunday! 💪
With much joy,
Hashim
Finally someone explaining this concept in logical terms that can actually be applied!! This 1% of growth really does add up over time and cause drastic change. Will definitely be applying this in my life!