Everyday is an opportunity to improve as a person either intellectually, physically, mentally, or socially.
To ensure that progress is being made on a day-to-day basis, persistently testing your limits, experiencing new subject matters, and novel situations is necessary. If everyday is routine and done the same exact way, what is it that you are gaining?
Breaking out of routine could mean something as little as brushing your teeth with the hand you don't normally brush your teeth with. Doing a task that you normally do more effectively or differently can bring about interesting results. The other day at work, I tried to change & vary the tone of my voice on the phone to see if the client would respond differently. Previously, I had kept my tone fairly consistent. The results were positive and I learned a lot from changing the tone of my voice and varying it from time to time. It helped me become more enthusiastic on the phone, which helped the client feel more easy and willing to respond to my requests and pitches.
If you can identify highlight events in the past thirty days, then you have successfully exposed yourself to novel experiences and situations. If the past thirty days have been a blur, it might suggest that you have been doing the same thing everyday.
In exposing yourself to novel experiences, you understand the world a little better. When you talk to someone who is/has specialized in a particular area, you will know what he/she is talking about.
There is opportunity on the weekends to direct my focus towards improving my understanding of figuring out what is important in life and what is necessary to get ahead in this fast paced world we all live in today.
I am on the look out for interesting books to read this summer. My focus is on accelerating my knowledge and success in life.
Going to the library Monday after work to pick these up:
1. Tom Wolfe: The Bonfire of the Vanities
2. Po Bronson: "Why Do I Love These People?": Understanding, Surviving, and Creating Your Own Family
3. Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking
Any other suggests let me know!