Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 35. Personal Development Counts

"We get better when we do better. And we do better when we know better."

Every morning when you wake up, you can—and should—embrace the notion that there is something about you, your life, your business, or the way that you carry yourself that could stand to be improved. Every day requires dedication, discipline, good judgment, energy, and the feeling that there's something about yourself that you can make better. Each day offers an opportunity for improvement, and each moment serves as an opportunity to advance or to retreat in the pursuit of your goals.

Personal development is a lifelong pursuit, because life is a work-in-progress. You never totally arrive; there is always some polishing to do, some knowledge to gain, and a love to deepen. Self-development ends only when we run out of time. You are and will always be the self in evolution. Who couldn't progress a little as a parent, child, spouse, friend, citizen, or employee? No one is perfect; no one walks the straight and narrow line all the time. And this absence of perfection leaves the door open for improvement. Our fight is not external; it lays internally in mastery over self. If we are to dominate events and experience greater levels of performance, we must first dominate ourselves.

Let there be no doubt: as long as you continue to blame others instead of assuming your responsibilities, you will make no meaningful and enduring change for the better. What kind of people are we if we ...