The Consultant’s Consultant, Alan Weiss, often remarks, “If you are one percent better each day, you will be twice as good in 72 days.”

Besides his obvious facility with compound interest, Dr. Weiss gives us some food for thought. What does 1% better every day look like?

  • Get up five minutes earlier
  • Stay an extra 15 minutes and finish a project
  • Organize tomorrow’s work before you leave
  • Leave a morsel on the plate
  • Take a moment to be grateful
  • Write another paragraph
  • Kiss your spouse for 10 seconds
  • Ask your children about their day
  • Leave a little bigger tip
  • Praise a co-worker
  • Text a friend
  • Sprint 10 seconds longer
  • Throw five more pounds on the barbell
  • Water instead of soda or juice
  • Grilled instead of fried
  • Fruit instead of french fries
  • Be pleasant when you just don’t freakin’ feel like it
  • Be patient with the cashier
  • Smile. At anyone.

Getting better is not about proclamations or affirmations. Sweeping New Year’s resolutions are usually swept away by mid-January.

The only lasting change is by degrees, by making dozens of small decisions each day that strengthen our resolve, give us pride and make us more pleasant to be around.

Just pick one.

– Bob Gagliano

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