You Can Do Better

This is a post for myself more than a message to anyone else. Lately, I’ve been disappointed in my own self-discipline. The truth is, I have not been exercising my will-power as much as I should, and it has resulted in me wasting lots and lots of time. So here is a message to myself, and perhaps anyone else in need of a reminder, that you can change.

You can just do better. You could make a decision, right now, to change. This very instant, you could will yourself to become a better person. You could act differently. You could make the immediate choice to stop doing detrimental things and start doing other beneficial things in their place.

At once, you could commit yourself to viewing people, problems, and situations differently, resulting in you acting differently in response. Sure, your initial impulses and thoughts will remain. But maybe after sometime, you’ll actually change the way you think, and the habits you initially need to force will become automatic.

It really is that simple. And isn’t that empowering? The ability to change for the better is always available. Always, and in every moment. Of course it’s not easy, but it’s possible. Of course this is an oversimplification of people’s challenges, patterns, addictions, environments, etc. -everything that influences a person to act the way they do. But still, they, you, and I could make a change at any time to do and be better.

Maybe you stumble from time to time. You get derailed off your course of self-improvement. You act differently for a day or week and then fall back into your less-desirable habits. You still were a better person for whatever period of time you stayed committed to that change. Get back on the horse. Keep doing better. Stay better this time.

Maybe you don’t make a radical change, but a small one. An incremental improvement is still an improvement. Being a little bit better than you were is still a positive change. With time, small improvements compound into massive ones. So don’t be deceived into thinking small advancements aren’t worthwhile.

So what are you waiting for? Just do better. Be better. If you mess up, do better again. Stay better next time.