I wake up every morning knowing I can be something more than I was yesterday. I know I can be anything I want to be as long as I focus on that goal. I attempt to make every day another step towards succeeding at my dreams. There is no better day than today to start being the best you.

Every day that you have, you have the opportunity to make incredible things happen. Sure, there are almost 7 billion people on the Earth, but you can still make a difference either in your life or another. What I am asking of you is that you make one small attempt to make yourself better in some way for the next 7 days and, hopefully, continue this lifestyle change. Before we get into that, let’s answer a few questions. . .

Why Should You Become a Better You? I am assuming you are an amazing person right now. You have accomplished many great things and done a lot for others in your life. However, I feel that if we aren’t striving daily to be a better person, we begin to feel comfortable in the daily norm. Like many of you, I hate the daily norm. I love making everyday different than the last and experience something different as often as possible. With that, we should all challenge ourselves to be better so that we continue to grow and develop at whatever point we are in our lives.

What are the Benefits of Being a Better Me? By attempting to be a better you, you will be happier, more productive, and fulfill more dreams than if you chose to be stagnant. You will start to see new opportunities that once were never a reality nor a possibility. You will meet new and exciting people that may give more meaning to your life. These benefits just touch the surface of the positive impact of attempting to be a better you can have.

Why in the World Would I Listen to You About Being a Better Me? That’s a great question and I am glad you asked. I am not perfect. I have many flaws. However, daily, I try to be a better person because I know that by doing so I am adding value to my existence and hopefully, to others as well. I am bringing more value to the great gift of life. If there is anyone that can strive to be a better person, it is me. So, if I am seeing the positives from trying to be a better person, I know you can gain from attempting this small action too. It never hurts to try something new that may just improve your life. The worst case scenario is that none of the following helps and you simply return to your already awesome life!

Now here are 7 daily steps that are basic and useful to becoming a better you in 7 days:

Wake up before sunrise. This may be tough for the night owls, but this can be one of the best ways to get in tune with yourself before the chaos hits. Take advantage of being ahead of everyone else and enjoy the coming of the day. This practice will lead to a fresher, more alive you throughout the day if continued. The happier you start your day, the brighter the rest of the day will be.

Ask someone if there is anything you can help them with. Try to ask others if there is anything that you can do to make their day better. They will appreciate you more and may inspire them to pay it forward. This action usually leads to self-fulfillment knowing that you have improved the life of another.

Get outside and be active. I usually plead the case for getting outside so that more people would be healthier. But, today, I just want to share this action step so that you can get outside and disconnect from the world. By this I mean the digital world. Today, many of us spend all of our day in front of the television or computer screen. The world is vast and incredible and usually it can be experienced just by walking out the front door. Experience life in the form of nature. Do this for 30 minutes and your mind will be clearer and more alive than when you started.

Write down your goals for the next week. Don’t look so far ahead. Enjoy everything that you want to accomplish this week. By writing down your aspirations for one week, you will be more in tune with taking action today instead of procrastinating. Want to simplify your workspace? Write it down along with small daily tasks that will accomplish this goal. Keep it simple and you will achieve great things that will brighten your days to come.

Do one thing you love. Love reading? Love running? Love talking? Love relaxing? Love writing? Whatever it is that you love, try doing that for some period of your day. When we experience the things we love, we tend to carry that positive attitude towards the following actions. This will increase your level of enjoyment with life so that you can be better at everything else that you do.

Make another person’s day. You would be surprised how much positive impact a small act can have on the person you are kind to along with the impact it has upon yourself. As stated earlier, you can ask someone if they need help. You can also tell them how great they are, write them a secret note (my girlfriend loves finding these in random places), take someone out for a meal, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It just should be something that will brighten their day.

Learn something new. Have you always wanted to know how to say a few words of Mandarin as well as understand what you were saying? Well, learn that one new thing today. Take this chance to educate yourself about one thing you didn’t know before today and you will be that much brighter. Education should not stop when we leave school. By implementing this daily act, you will be capable of improving your ability to adjust to new and improved aspects of culture.

You may have read these steps by skimming through this article. But what I want to stress is that you take action. Actually try something that you read here. These are not over-arching, difficult tasks. They are incredible ways that you can make major positive changes to your life. So, just give it a shot for a week.

I hope through these efforts, you too can see the benefits of becoming a better you every day of your life.

Peace and Love, Jim

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