Strive to be better

George Chingarande | Monday March 17, 2014 15:11

I do not wish life had been kinder to me, but I wish I had been more. I do not wish goods had been cheaper, but I wish I had had more resources.

I do not wish I had less problems but I wish I had more skills. I do not wish the challenges I faced had been fewer but I do wish I had more wisdom. I know I am old but in the remaining days of life, I will seek to better; to have more resources; to be more; to add to my repertoire of skills and to be wiser. Because when I have these I will be more than a match to any sword that life can throw at me.”

As I reflect on these words I am stunned by their profundity. I ask myself; “How many times have I wished things were easier? How many times have I wished things were cheaper? If things were cheaper wouldn’t you and I be living in the houses of our dreams; driving the cars of our dreams; having holidays of our dreams? What would we do differently if only the challenges were less and the problems were fewer?

The real problem is not the prices of goods or the complexity of the challenges nor the cryptic nature of the problems we face. The real problem resides somewhere in us as the old man discovered late in his life. To paraphrase William Shakespeare our fate is not in the stars but in that we are sometimes underlings.

The problem is not external to us. It is not in the situation or the circumstances. Many of the challenges and problems that people face would shrink to miniscule proportions if only the people who face them would get better. One of the biggest challenges that people face, and yet they are not aware of it, is the challenge to get better or put differently; the challenge to be more. Why should we be better?

Einstein once rightly observed that the challenges that we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that we were at when we created them. I will venture to add that the challenges that we face cannot be resolved by retaining the same habits of thought and action that contributed to their coming into existence in the first place. You cannot solve a debt crisis by resorting to more borrowing; for example. The challenge that we face therefore is to be better. When we are better our chances of succeeding at whatever we decide to pursue are automatically enhanced.

How then can we be better? To be better, first of all, we must be conscious of the need to constantly stretch forward. We must be aware that we need to be better; and that to be better is not a luxury but an imperative in life. The simple truth is that most of us are not keenly conscious of the fact that we need to be better.

Whether life is treating you very well or your world is literally curving in on you; you need to be better. Never kid yourself! One famous architect whose works include some of the world’s most famous buildings was once asked, “Of all your works, which one is your most favourite?” His answer was, “The next one.” The architect was aware that he had scored some great successes that had made him famous and given him a fortune, but he was even more aware of the fact that his next project had the potential to better all his past successes. That is also true of each one of us. What we do next need not be at the same level as what we did previously. We can be better and we ought to be better. We must carry this consciousness where ever we carry our heads.

It is not enough to be conscious of the need to be better. We must also consciously and relentlessly strive to be better. Demosthenes was the greatest of the ancient Greek orators. In his early days he was often ridiculed for stammering. However, he made a conscious decision to become better. He overcame stuttering by speaking with pebbles in his mouth to improve articulation, shouting above the ocean waves to improve his volume, and working with an actor in reciting Sophocles and Euripedes to coordinate his voice and gestures.  In the end he became the greatest orator. He succeeded because of two reasons. First, he was willing to pay the price and he paid it. Second, he developed a new habit that was useful to his endeavour. Everything in life comes with a price tag. Becoming better is no exception. To be better you must know the price, be willing to pay and then actually do everything necessary to actually pay it. For Demosthenes the price was practicing for long hours, your price is also waiting for you to pay it. It is also very unlikely that you will move to the next level in your life by retaining the same habits that have brought you to this morass of a life.

The things that we read and the people that we meet and talk to and learn from; have very powerful influence in shaping what we become. To become better you need to pay attention to what you read. You must become a lifelong learner. You must read something new every day. Yes, read newspapers and magazines but most importantly read material that has the potential to add value to your life.

When you venture to do this it will surprise you that much has already been written about the things that vex you every day, and for some of these the solutions are already known. When you read something new about your profession every day; soon you will become the expert in that field. Whenever we stop learning, we stop becoming better. This week make a list of things you want to better at, and the habits that you need to acquire and dare begin the journey that will transform your fortunes.