The one percent rule.

So we’ve been talking about self improvement a lot these past few days, so I wanted to touch a bit on a strategy that I find works very well for me.

Its simple.

Try to improve by 1% physically, emotionally, mentally, every day.

How do you do this? 1% per day!??!?! Thats WAY TOO MUCH YOU SAY.

Just a little bit each day. The 1% rule. Improve 1% a day. 1% is nothing, you can do one percent per day… anyone can!

How can you self improve by one percent per day? I am going to give you 7 ways that you can start doing that today.

1. Always keep an eye out for opportunity:

There are over 300 people in this room. Thats an exponential amount of opportunities, for conversation, for learning, for living. I met so many life long friends just being here ONE day — and that will probably lead to a lot of opportunity in the future.

2. Keep the ideas flowing.

Come up with 10 ideas every day. Even if they suck. Write them down. After one year, you’ll have 3650 ideas. Even if 1 out of every 1000 of those ideas is good, you’ll have 3.65 good ideas. My ideas this morning were: 10 ways that I can be a better speaker.

3. Don’t be perfect…

Often I don’t try something because I am subconsciously afraid I might suck at it. Naturally, we protect ourselves from failure. Perfectionism is your brain trying to protect you from harm, from coming up with an idea that is embarrassing and stupid and could cause you to suffer pain. Sometimes I think, well if I’m not going to be perfect at it, then why even try?

4. Exercise

Exercise every day. “I dont have time” is no longer an excuse. During Tobi’ and Tobi’s talk yesterday, Tobi mentioned he did a seven minute workout in the mornings before he went out on the road. So I looked it up, and its a free iphone app! 7 minutes, and you improve your mood, appearance, and health, every day… for free. I am positive Tobi is much busier than we are — and if he can do it, so can we.

5. Stay grateful for everything in life:

We are all breathing, living, in this room, surrounded by some of the smartest people in the world, creating things for one the best companies in the world. Whats not to be grateful for?

6. Keep positive people in your life:

Surround yourself with likeminded positive individuals… People that lift you up. You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So surround yourself with people that are constantly trying to bring you up and motivate you. This is so important.

7. Last but not least:

Spend 15 minutes on the thing you want to improve on every day. 1% of your day is 15 minutes. 15 minute is nothing, but if you do a little bit every day, you’ll get in the habit and develop that skill forever.

If you do 1% better every day than in 1 years time, you will be 3650% better than you were before.

I was reading Jerry Seinfelds book recently, and he said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes was to write every day.

So come up with ideas, be grateful, exercise… Improve on any area in life you see that needs improving. Improve by just 1% every day, and you’ll see a massive change in self improvement.

Thank you for listening everyone.