Why I Stopped Trying to Be 1% Better Every Day

I’ve entered a new era, and it’s not about becoming better, faster, and stronger.

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

I used to live by the motto:

Become 1% better every day.

I even wrote it in a cover letter for a job. It was that ingrained in who I was and who I wanted to be.

Now? I kinda think that’s silly.

I’ve entered a new era, and it’s not about becoming better, faster, and stronger at everything I do.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have goals and ambitions. But I’ve found that a certain peace comes with slowing down and showing yourself unconditional love right now, in this exact moment.

Here are three unexpected lessons I learned by stopping my endless pursuit of growth and embracing myself as I am.

1. The reverse domino effect

Ever heard of the domino effect? It’s the idea that knocking down just one domino can cause a cascading effect that takes down countless others. But there’s also a flip side to it — instead of instigating a chain of events, pause and welcome stillness.

Pausing helped me see the natural flow of my life. I started asking myself what do I need right now? In some moments, it…