Use Every Opportunity to Get Better

Knowing this about myself I’ve had to learn that failure isn’t who I am in that moment, but instead, an opportunity for learning.  Flipping the script on failure doesn’t change your level of responsibility but does allow for possibilities to emerge—possibilities for solutions, new paths, new ideas and fresh answers.  And it’s in this space we get better at whatever we are working to accomplish.

The goal is to use every opportunity to get better.  If you’re an athlete and you have a bad game or match, it’s important to deconstruct it and learn what you can to improve.  When I was running cross country in college I had persistent right knee and hip pain.  I learned that I was heel striking on my right leg instead of landing on my midfoot and this was both slowing me down—because I was literally putting on the brakes—and also creating injury.  I certainly didn’t want to hear that I was “running wrong” but I knew I wanted to get better.  My coach worked with me to change my running technique and I learned to run comfortably and with less effort while improving my race performance.

While my example is a simple one, the same applies to your relationships, growing your company, creating change in your community and anything else you can dream up.  We must use every opportunity to get better because the consequences of complacency are demise.  If your business isn’t constantly getting better, someone else will capture the market share.  If you’re complacent about your relationship with your significant other, the relationship may become unfulfilling and die of neglect.

Just imagine what the world would be like if we all used every opportunity to get better.  Continuous improvement isn’t just an industrial concept.  It’s a construct for a thriving life.