“Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little bet better every single day.” – Brian Tracy
I’ve always hoped for better things. Better grades, better behavior, being a better husband and parent. My family has helped shaped and grow me in so many different areas, as I feel all families are responsible to spur one another on toward being a better version of themselves. Although my Dad’s side of the family was fairly small, the Moffat’s love and passion for our Scottish family heritage was mighty. My Nana and Aunt Janet toured Scotland and stayed in the town which bears our name (even the same way we spell it). We used to go watch a group called the Black Watch perform the drums and bagpipes every year when they came to town. We have a family tartan and we have a family motto, “Spero Meliora,” which basically means, “I hope for better things.” According to Taylor Moffitt, a more literal and contextually appropriate translation would be “I aspire to greater things.”
Many of us are hoping and aspiring to just leave our houses right now, so maybe this is a tall order, or is it? What if we could keep getting better, getting stronger, maybe even healthier through this season?
All of that depends on the perspective in which you see this event. If we can continue to stay positive, we’ll all have better outcomes. At the end of the day, it really comes down to the person who is looking back at you in the mirror. How are you doing accepting personal responsibility today? I see a lot of blame going around, where this thing originated, who is making us stay at home, who knows if or when we will ever really know the truth? Do those things matter right now? What we can know better every day through this is ourselves. How am I handling this and what emotions am I having each day? What are my dreams, my vision, my goals? In order to aspire toward greater things, I think it is crucial to know the answer to all of those questions first. So, let’s get to work!
Another critical inventory to invest time and resources into developing are your strengths. If someone asked you to list those right now, could you answer them? Until a couple of years ago, I could not. Then I met my coach, Todd Olsen, and one of the first things he gave me was a strengths assessment from Gallup CliftonStrengths which was extremely eye-opening, informative and has guided us in my continued learning and growth in my personal and professional life. Responsibility is my number one strength (which might not surprise you based on what I just talked about). Tied for second are the strengths of positivity and maximizer. A maximizer is someone who notices what is good and imagines how it could get even better. It is the relentless pursuit of improvement and high expectations (which drives my family nuts a lot of the time, but it might be rubbing off on them?). Lastly, the maximizer sees the infinite potential that exists. That’s me.
If you haven’t assessed your strengths in a deep and meaningful way, there’s no time like the present. I’d love to be a resource for you, so would Todd and a handful of other coaches who I’m proud to call friends and colleagues as we help people improve their mental, physical and spiritual health. Spero Meliora for you!
This serves as a great reminder to really get to know yourself. Who am I, really? Learning to be comfortable in your own skin and to find your voice. One of the greatest enemies is the way we compare ourselves one to another. Far better to compare yourself to your prior self — and commit to making your future self better than your present self.