10% Better

New Year, new you right? It's March and you have already failed at your goals, or you haven't done as much as you wanted to. Yeah, that's what usually happens when we put way to many things on our plates at once. You can never have to many goals, but not having a good pace to complete your goals if usually what gets us off track. That's why I don't make new year's resolutions. Instead, I choose to get 10% better each week, by adding one new task each week.

Since December I have added one new task a week to help me progress in my overall goal. Now, it doesn't have to be some huge change. It doesn't even mean that you have to work from dusk to dawn. You don't have to do that, which is what people usually think they have to do to progress. Progression can happen at any rate as long as you are consistent. You also have to actually put in the work. Adding one new thing a week with no real objective will do nothing. So having an overall goal is the number thing you have to have.

Creating a plan to get to your goal is just like writing a paper. Identify your topic. Introduce the initial and overall intention. After that, you then start the body of your essay by pin pointing specific topics that correspond with your introduction. You then expound on each topic in each paragraph, giving at least three supporting details. Then you round up your essay in the conclusion. Ultimately you now have a well written essay with a clear direction, supporting details and strong conclusion. This is how you should outline your goals.

First step, identify your goal. For myself I want to grow my social media footprint/impact in networking terms. So that means I need to identify what is needed In order to do that , This is your introduction. This is your first task and what you spend your first week identifying. It may seem like something you can complete this within a day, however you have a week to do it. You have a week to research, investigate and further develop your goal, just like an essay. Gather your supporting details. Once that's complete you are now 10% better than before. You have progressed. Congratulations.

Each week you complete a new task. Adding 1 new thing a week is just enough to keep you moving forward, without becoming overwhelmed. The time frame allows you to truly focus on what your task is that week. Your attention is on one thing and one thing only. Dive into that one task and investigate. This usually ends ups adding to your potential goals to work on in the coming weeks. This is developing your supporting details to your overall goal.

 Sometimes your goal for the week can't be fully achieved until the weekend. If you have a 9 to 5 like I do, the weekends are my golden times to focus or to put a plan into action. That means during the week i need to figure out the game plan for the weekend. If you are trying to complete a photo-shoot, then plan your outfit. Scope out a location. All of these things are a part of making your photo-shoot a success. Now expound on the reason for the photo-shoot. What does the photo-shoot do for you? What are you looking to get out of doing this photo-shoot?

Maybe your goal of having the photo-shoot is to be able to have new content to post every day. Then that means you have to be prepared to take at least 30 pictures, right? This is all a part of your 10%. These are the details that are supporting your overall goal. These are what solidify your goal. Within a week you now have planned out how much content you will be able to put out & have your photo-shoot set up for the weekend. So once the weekend gets here, you're able to make the most out of your shoot. That is all from just doing adding 1 new objective.

One goal can have numerous amounts of supporting details. It's important to dive deeper. Adding one new objective a week can ultimately end up adding five more supporting details to your goal. You're building a solid foundation. This is what becoming 10% better means. Add one thing and see where that takes you.

No matter what your goal is, adding one new thing a week can help you consistently progress. You're becoming 10% better each week. That 10% is adding to the totality of your goal. In reality, becoming 10% better is becoming more than 100% better by the end of the year.

Personally I get overwhelmed very quickly and I need to break things down so that I can handle them better. After understanding that, I had to come up with a way to keep moving forward. Keep progressing. This has helped me in so many ways. I have seen so much growth and promise from just adding one new thing a week. It's not hard, but you do have to have the conviction to do it. You have to believe in yourself. You have put forth effort. Hold yourself accountable and get to it. You can do it. I believe in you.

Keep Moving Forward

-Airika Nicole

Airika Nicole