Better Than Yesterday

Better Than Yesterday

Hey team. Here we are, Wednesday Workshop. I love to talk and give you some basic advice. Sometimes I use a little pithy quote here or there—I’m kind of known as the “quote guy.” A lot of news feeds and stuff come through to help me out with that. Sometimes I have officers and team members who help me out, but life in general helps me out too.

I came across this one a few weeks ago, and it said pretty plainly, “The goal is simple: better than yesterday.” The goal is simple: better than yesterday. It seems simple enough, but what goes into being better than yesterday? What do we do to make a “better than yesterday” moment?

There are many things we need to do to keep inching forward, and our core values help us. Be valuable—nothing less will do. That’s a simple purpose and plan we’ve set in motion. But what does it take to be better than yesterday?

There are little things we do, little habits we form, and core values we must set into place. Humility is huge. Investment, putting service above self, resolve, transparency, not quitting, and being open-minded—saying, “Hey, I might have made a mistake,” and having the humility to learn from that mistake. Creating an atmosphere where we celebrate together, where we “eat cake,” as I like to say, is essential.

For me, one of the things I’ve thought about recently is my journey of being better than yesterday. Some of you know my story; others might not. I went through school from kindergarten to high school and never read a book. Not once. I didn’t have much focus in school. I tried to get kicked out of class. Because I was afraid of being ashamed or embarrassed in front of teachers and classmates. I acted out and got kicked out of class on purpose.

Some of you might be surprised to hear that I’m the Vice President of Northwest Enforcement and used to get kicked out of class a lot. I never read a book from cover to cover in school. There’s a whole story behind that, but I won’t go into it today.

Recently, I finished writing what will probably end up being three or four devotionals. I’ve written over 380 separate poems and prayers for a book. Each poem and prayer takes up a good segment of a page, so I’ve written almost 800 pages.

I never read a book going through school, yet here I am, post-graduation, having written over 800 pages for a book. I don’t know if it’ll get published—I’m working on that. But what’s important is the idea of being better than yesterday.

Did I wake up one morning after never reading a book and decide to write an 800-page book? No. I started small. At 19, I read my first book cover to cover, and I didn’t stop there. I’ve read dozens and dozens of books, and I read a number of books every year.

It didn’t start that way, and it wasn’t easy. I had to adopt the mindset of being better than yesterday. I read a little every day, I wrote a little every day. There were plateaus, of course. After writing 30, 40, or 50 poems and prayers, I wondered how I’d ever reach 365. But then I hit 90, 120, 150, and so on until I surpassed 365. Now, I’ve written over 381 separate poems and prayers, totaling nearly 800 pages.

I’ve often shared the mathematical equation for reading a book: 10 pages a day. Most books are 280 to 300 pages, so 10 pages a day gets you through about 12 books a year. It’s simple.

My seven-year-old son, David, is already reading chapter books. He’s on Chapter 7 of I Survived the Mount St. Helens Eruption, 1980. By the end of the year, he’ll probably have read five or six chapter books. At his age, I couldn’t do that.

This isn’t all about reading. The goal is simple: better than yesterday. How do you get there? Break it into small, bite-sized chunks. Whatever your goal—writing a book, reading a book, saving money, quitting an addiction, advancing your career—the principle is the same.

If you make a mistake, own up to it, dissect it, and move forward. Be valuable—nothing less will do.

That’s how I wrote over 800 pages, read dozens of books each year, and overcame financial troubles. It’s simple: have the goal of being better than yesterday.

If you didn’t read 10 pages yesterday, read them today. If you missed the gym yesterday, go tonight. Don’t let missed days pile up. You can always pick back up, start again, and make progress.

I never thought I’d write a book. In my teens, 20s, or 30s, I’d have thought it was crazy. But now, I’m working on two or three book ideas because I’ve fallen in love with the process.

The only way I’ll get there is by breaking it into small chunks, being better than I was yesterday, and continuing to learn, grow, and advance myself.

I hope that helps you—it certainly helps me. God bless you, have a wonderful week, and remember: let’s be valuable because nothing less will do. See you next week!