According to a groundbreaking 2023 study from the Harvard Business School, 76% of professionals who tracked their small daily improvements reported significantly higher career satisfaction than those focused solely on major achievements.
We’ve all been conditioned to view success through the lens of competition—being the best, reaching the top, outperforming others. But what if we’ve been measuring success all wrong? What if true success isn’t about comparison to others but rather comparison to ourselves?
The philosophy captured in the simple yet profound quote, “Success is not about being the best. It’s about being better than yesterday,” offers a refreshing and sustainable approach to personal and professional growth. This mindset shift doesn’t just feel good—it actually works.
Why “Better Than Yesterday” Works
When we define success as being better than our former selves, several powerful psychological mechanisms activate:
- We focus on progress, not perfection. Perfection is unattainable and leads to frustration. Progress is always possible and generates motivation.
- We control the variables. We can’t control how good someone else is at something, but we can control our own effort and improvement.
- We celebrate more frequently. Daily improvements provide regular positive reinforcement, whereas being “the best” might happen rarely, if ever.
- We develop resilience. When setbacks occur, we’re more likely to view them as temporary dips in an upward trajectory rather than categorical failures.
Practical Ways to Be Better Than Yesterday
Career Development
1. Implement the 1% Rule
The concept is simple yet powerful: improve by just 1% each day. These tiny gains compound dramatically over time. After one year of 1% daily improvements, you’ll be 37 times better than when you started.
Activity: Identify one small professional skill you can improve by 1% today. Perhaps it’s writing more concise emails, learning one new keyboard shortcut, or refining your public speaking by practicing for five minutes.
2. Practice Deliberate Learning
Rather than passive consumption of information, deliberate learning involves intentional skill development.
Activity: Set aside 20 minutes each day for deliberate learning in your field. This could be reading research papers, taking an online course module, or practicing a specific technique. The key is to focus completely during this time.
3. Use the ‘Seinfeld Strategy’
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld famously used a calendar system where he marked an X for each day he wrote jokes. His goal was to “not break the chain.”
Activity: Create a visual tracking system for your key professional habit. Each day you complete it, mark it off. The growing chain becomes a powerful motivator.
Personal Development
1. Maintain a Better-Than-Yesterday Journal
Activity: Each evening, write down three ways you were better today than yesterday. These don’t need to be major achievements—perhaps you drank more water, responded more thoughtfully to a colleague, or took the stairs instead of the elevator.
2. Practice Intentional Discomfort
Growth happens at the edges of your comfort zone.
Activity: Identify one small uncomfortable action you can take each day that stretches you. It might be initiating a conversation with someone new, sharing an idea in a meeting, or trying a new approach to a familiar problem.
3. Implement Reflection Triggers
Activity: Place visual reminders at points throughout your day to prompt reflection on your progress. This could be a sticky note on your computer that asks, “How is this making you better than yesterday?” or a reminder on your phone that prompts you to check in with your improvement goals.
Overcoming Obstacles to Daily Improvement
1. The Plateau Effect
Improvement isn’t always linear. You’ll hit plateaus where progress seems to stall. This is normal and part of the growth process.
Strategy: During plateaus, shift focus to a different but related skill. This often creates breakthrough insights when you return to the original area of focus.
2. Comparison Trap
Social media and workplace metrics make it easy to fall back into the comparison mindset.
Strategy: Create personal metrics for success that are independent of others’ performance. Track these religiously and let them be your primary feedback mechanism.
3. Burnout Risk
The pursuit of constant improvement can lead to burnout if not managed properly.
Strategy: Build restoration into your improvement plan. Some days, being “better than yesterday” might mean getting more rest, practicing better self-care, or finding more joy in your work rather than pushing harder.
The Ripple Effect of Personal Improvement
When you commit to being better than yesterday, something remarkable happens—your influence grows. Teams with members focused on personal improvement rather than competition show higher collaboration and innovation rates. Families that celebrate small improvements create more supportive environments. Communities benefit from individuals who consistently elevate themselves without tearing others down.
Conclusion: The Journey of 1,000 Miles
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wisely noted that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Success, viewed through the lens of daily improvement, transforms from a distant destination into an enriching journey.
Today, ask yourself: “How can I be slightly better than I was yesterday?” In that simple question lies the path to sustainable success—not the kind that puts you above others, but the kind that continuously elevates you above your former self.
Because ultimately, the most meaningful competition in life isn’t with others—it’s with the person you were yesterday.
What small step will you take today to be better than yesterday? The journey to your best self begins now.
Connect With Mark Danaher
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