Summary

The article outlines a pragmatic approach to self-improvement by identifying gaps, starting with small consistent actions, and seeking feedback.

Abstract

The article "How To Be Better At Everything?" suggests that self-improvement is a continuous journey rather than a destination of perfection. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing the gap between current reality and future aspirations, advocating for starting with small, consistent actions to form habits that lead to significant results. The author cites Steven Guise's "Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results" to reinforce the idea that incremental changes can overcome the brain's resistance to effort. Personal anecdotes, such as the author's 365-day writing challenge, illustrate the transformative power of consistency. Additionally, the article stresses the necessity of feedback for growth, encouraging individuals to overcome the fear of asking for constructive criticism to stay on track with their self-improvement goals.

Opinions

The author believes that aiming for perfection is unrealistic and that striving to be better is a more practical and achievable goal.
Recognizing the gap between current circumstances and desired outcomes is seen as a crucial first step in the process of self-improvement.
Small, consistent actions are considered more effective than grand gestures for forming good habits and achieving long-term goals.
Feedback is viewed as an essential tool for self-improvement, providing a map for areas of growth and ensuring that one does not stray from their path.
Overcoming the discomfort of asking for feedback is encouraged, especially for introverts, as it is a critical component of personal development.
The author shares a personal success story, highlighting the impact of a daily writing habit on their life, which supports the article's advocacy for consistency and incremental improvement.

How To Be Better At Everything?

Be better by looking for tiny increments in all aspects of life.

I’m not sure about you, but I always want to be better in life.

I used to want to be the best, but I figured out that no one is ever perfect in any sense, so I changed — I want to be better in life.

“How do you be better at everything?”

I heard myself asking this question for a long time. I didn’t look for the answer initially as I didn’t know where to look for it, but I do now.

Do These To Be Better At Everything

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This adage showed us how to be better — find a way to improve.

Here are the things you should do if you want to be better at anything:

Know The Gap

As a child, I always imagined how my adult life would be. I had fantasized about having a successful career and a happy family when I grew up.

I thought it would be easy as I never paid attention to the gap between where I was and wanted to be. The greater the gap, the more effort is required.

I still fantasize about my future, but I give myself a task — to clearly outline the gap between “now” and “future”. I knew what I needed to do when I learned how big the gap was between the two.

Start Small

The journey of thousand miles begins with one step — Lao Tzu

Always start small. Not that we are incapable of doing great things, but because great things are accumulated from small yet, consistent actions.

In his book, Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results, Steven Guise wrote that small but consistent actions could help us form good habits in the long run. He wrote in his book that our primitive brains resist changes, and any activities that require us to put in effort would undoubtedly be rejected.

Start small and slowly build the momentum. Soon after I read Guise’s work, I started implementing the start-small-finish-great project — a 365 daily project.

I engaged in this 5-min daily writing every day for a year. At first, it doesn’t seem to change anything, and I only start to feel slight changes in life after going half into the challenge.

Then, I have learned that consistency brings results.

Feedback! Feedback! Feedback!

If you are not a caveman, you are one of us, and you need help becoming better.

Feedback is essential in change. Think of feedback as a map for self-improvement; without feedback, you won’t know what to improve!

If you are an introvert like me, we faced the same problem asking for feedback. However, I strongly recommend you overcome the anxiety of asking for feedback because you’ll need that valuable feedback for improvement.

I was lucky to have a partner and a few friends who would give me the feedback I needed in self-improvement. I get to publish my first ebook after a friend’s help! Thanks, Lay Sze.

Becoming better at everything is not impossible. One needs strategy and the courage to step out of one’s comfort zone.

Are you ready to become a little bit better than yesterday? If so, first, you’ll need to find out how far away you are from your ideal. Then, you should start small to work towards your destination, but don’t forget to collect feedback on the way so that you won’t get deviated from your path!