There is No Standing Still. You Grow or You Diminish.

Published: Fri, 07/20/18

Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.

— Mark Twain

There is no standing still.

I'm constantly reminded of this fact when I'm in Jamaica. I don't know why exactly. Maybe because I'm familiar with the island and I have a love for the environment there. Nature is a great example of how growth works. Plants thrive only through growth. A tree never remains the same even if it seems like it is. Even mature trees will send out roots, shed their leaves and fruit every year and replenish itself a new. A tree is either growing or dying, and a man works just the same way.
We must keep moving forward to feel fulfilled.

A little progress each day adds up to big results

Why do the successful authors, actors, creators and visionaries who have reached the pinnacles of their careers not just put their feet up and bask in their former glory? Why do year after year they are stretching themselves, challenging themselves, always looking to push themselves to new heights?
Intelligent people realize that you are either growing or deteriorating, there is no such thing as standing still. You can never reach a stage in life where you can stop your effort and still maintain your position as a creator, author or actor, etc. If you stood still as an individual and the world around you was hurtling forward with change it would be as if you were moving backward. Our competition is not standing still, the tastes and trends are evolving, and we must change with them or face being irrelevant. You worked hard achieving what you have. Seeing your professional or critical standing erode with time because you’ve acquired no new skills is no fun. How do I keep that growth mindset front of mind?

Kaizen is my answer.
I love the Kaizen principle, which is a Japanese concept which roughly translates into the idea of ‘constant and neverending improvement,
There is no standing still Kaizen believes. To get to a sublime level of achievement in your undertaking or ambition, you must be in a state of continual and incremental improvement. The strategy doesn’t rely on the massive infrequent action that most people take part in. The beauty and the power of Kaizen is its insistence on the consistency of improvement.
I apply it to all aspects of my life, but the writing seems to be ideally suited to it. I’m constantly reminded of maintaining my growth mindset because of it and that fact alone has made my performance double.

Hope this Helps

One Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer is one of those unique books that provides real and practical advice that will change your life. And I don't mean some arbitrary date in the future but now. It's a well written and easy to read book. The ability to make small steps produce lasting change is no easy task and yet One Step Can Change Your Life will do that for you if you allow it.