1. Who am I?
2. What’s my WHY?
3. Am I growing? (Critical Self evaluation)
4. Am I taking care of ME?
5. What is another skill set I need? (Self Improvement)
6. What am I most proud of?
It’s not lost on us that continuous and sustained improvement at a personal level is not easy. Whether it is a skill you want to acquire, a positive quality, or a way of life you are looking to cultivate, staying on the progressive side of the growth curve takes persistent and consistent work.
If we are to be brutally honest, it is hard work.
Over the past two decades, I have strived to be engaged in continuous self-improvement. As we speak, I’m currently immersed in four or five courses geared toward helping me to become a better version of myself – not just for myself but for the people around me.
As a certified Global Catalyst & Transformational Leadership Coach looking to lead in the field, every year I recognize the need to seek mastery and reinvent myself in key areas of my life; one big one this year being: my health and nutrition.
I have learned a lot along the way: “to achieve success, to ultimately become my next best self, there are a couple of questions I need to keep asking myself”.
1. Who am I?
That is, what is my unique identity?
What can I do or what am I capable of? Every day I ask myself: what is it that I do so well that no one else can do (as well)? What is my true potential, my superpower?
Because we are often so self-critical, many will struggle with this question, whilst others get stuck at the surface level of things.
My suggestion here is to dig deep.
Maybe you love to write and are good at it, but you figure there are loads of writers out there, so it’s no big deal.
Perhaps then you may want to approach this question differently. What makes your writing unique?
Remember, what makes you unique isn’t necessarily what you do, but how you do it, and more so, WHY, which brings us to the second question.
2. What’s my ‘why’?
Because Apple is an easy target, I’ll use them as an example. Unlike many tech and computer companies that similarly manufactured computers, Apple is known to make computers for a demographic they have dubbed the ‘creative rebels’.
Another way to look at it. You could be great at doing ads for a political campaign, but can you create a nationwide movement?
What’s your edge? If you can answer this question with clarity, and identify the unique abilities that set you apart then success isn’t too far off.
3. Am I (Really) Growing?
This is another good question to ask. You can take all the courses in the world and enroll in all kinds of masterclasses, but if there is no visible improvement then success or your journey to becoming your next best self will continue to evade you.
I observe it in my peers, in my employees, in my business partners, and within social groupings; where there is no growth there is no movement.
Who you were yesterday, doesn’t matter today.
A lot of people work for that certificate but in the words of Vusi Thembekwayo a South African business titan, I happened to meet at the Marketing Society of Kenya Event in June:
“The purpose of the acquisition of the certificate is to forget you got it. Too many of us acquire that coveted piece of paper to frame it on a wall. They forgot they are celebrating what they knew, in a world where what you knew is becoming increasingly less relevant.” – Vusi Thembekwayo
Hence, the question we should be asking ourselves is not: ‘what do we know?’ but, ‘what are we willing to learn?’ This is what will assure you consistent growth and an eventual road map to your next best self.
4. Am I taking care of myself?
Every morning, I wake up at the same time and practice my daily habits of prayer and meditation. I also try to throw in some light reading and exercise for good measure. Often (if not daily), I will attend morning mass at the Consolata Shrine. It follows that when my physical, mental and spiritual space is well taken care of early in the day, then it sets the tone for the remainder of my day.
Moreover, once or twice a year, outside of taking the usual leave from my business to just rest, I also input a self-care calendar in advance that specifically dictates going on a digital fast mid-year, where for a week I’m off the internet, off social media, and away from the rapid and often draining lane that is digital media. I do this because I understand that to stay at the top of my game, I need to take care of the cogs and wheels of the machine that drives it: ME.
5. What is another skill set I need?
This may seem contradictory to my third point. Yes. Don’t just upskill for the sake of adding another feather to your cap. Upskill to avoid becoming obsolete or redundant pretty fast. Redundancy is what causes so many out there, to get stuck in one place (especially career-wise) and unable to scale beyond what they know/knew.
You may wonder how to figure this out. How to upskill. The trick is to follow your heart and it doesn’t even need to be related directly to your career.
If you like baking or doing make-up, for example, taking a short professional course on the same can unlock something else in you that can add to what you already do in or outside your career.
Sometimes pursuing a course outside your career can help you gain clarity on what you should or should not be doing.
6. What am I most proud of?
As you grow, take stock of your proudest achievements. Growing for the sake of growth is not beneficial if you can’t reward yourself for who you’re becoming. As often as possible, celebrate each milestone achieved along your life journey.
If for example you get a career promotion, or you buy a new car or home, or your child makes it to university, celebrate. Don’t just be about the business.
Remember the point of gathering papers and certificates? Don’t be that person, who is always slave-driving yourself and never slows down enough to appreciate when you make it.
I find Kenyans a peculiar lot compared to our Western African brothers and sisters. Ask a Kenyan how they are doing. Even if they are thriving in life, they are likely to respond modestly or even act like they are doing poorly. This nature can keep you in a loop of never feeling like you have done much in life when you have. It keeps you on that hamster wheel chasing success unable to see the progressive gains you make daily.
Always be mindful to acknowledge the steps you have taken to get to where you are and be kind to yourself. That way you keep the success journey light and worth continuing.
Are you looking to become successful or attain immense growth in the next coming months into 2023? Don’t miss out on registering for our one-day ‘Your Next Best Self’ conference coming up in October. Click on this link to learn more.
