Last summer I was having a nice conversation with a gentleman who owns a medium-sized company in beautiful Calgary, Alberta. We naturally got on the topic of business and how to remain competitive in a changing market.
As we chatted he told me something profound that I also want to share with you as well. He said,
Ryan, if you are 5% better than the competition you are 100% better than the competition.
Incredible.
Simple.
True.
The same holds true for our own lives. I teach and I coach. On the fringe hours of my day, I write to add value to others.
In those three offerings, if I can be 5% better, I can be 100% better.
Perfect example. Each morning I wake up at 5 am. I spend the first 60 minutes of my day getting into what Benjamin Hardy would call a ‘peak state’. I typically post a blog, connect with at least one person in my network, drink amazing Turkish coffee, read the newspaper and get amped up with the words I repeat to myself for the day ahead. Come 6 am I run on the treadmill for 30–40 minutes on the top floor while the sun rises. From 6:45–7:10 am I prep for the day, shower and by 7:15 am I lace up the sneakers and walk 2km to work.
By the time I enter my place of work, I have already moved about 7–8 km, fed my mind positive news and published something good out to the world that can add value to others. This fills me with joy.
Why do I do this? Because this routine puts me in a state to be 5% better than yesterday which makes me 100% better than the competition in my field.
If I can teach better, coach better and write better I can put my head down at night a happy man knowing I left it all on the table.
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When I was in ninth grade I remember running a regional track meet. I was competing in the 1500m race and I remember seeing one of my teachers on the side of the track when I came out of turn two. He said, “Ryan make sure you have something left for the competition”. I smiled and said, “I always have something left for them”. I kept running my heart out to the finish. I wanted to be 5% better than the runner I was the day before by pushing my hardest.
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I want you to imagine your best day at work. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What happens to make it great? Now, picture that same day being approached with a routine that allows you to fill up your own cup before you even entered your place of work. Your best day could become even more amazing than you ever thought.
Now imagine your absolute worst day. Nothing goes right. You are late for work. You spill your coffee on your uniform. You forget your lunch. Your boss yells at you. Your team is short because everyone around you are sick. You are also sick but are pushing through and your phone is dead plus you have no way to charge it for the next 7–9 hours.
Brutal.
What if you could approach that awful day becoming 5% better before you even walked in the door? What if you knew that no matter what happened, you would come out on top because you have put yourself in a place to handle days such as this. How would it feel to know that you are becoming better than the competition regardless of the circumstances of the day?
Whether in life or business, if you can set up a daily routine that will make you become 5% better than you were the day before you are 100% better than you were the day before and then the competition around you.
My encouragement for you today is that you find a routine that works for you. If you already have a routine, think about ways you can shake it up to continue to have the 5% competitive edge on your best self and those around you. If you need to get up 30 minutes sooner to hit the gym you should do it. If you want quietness and deep thinking time in the morning I encourage you to invest in nice coffee and to savour that time in your morning routine.
Whatever you need to do to get yourself to become 5% better before you enter your place of work will come back to serve you in providing you with your best life.
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Previously published on Medium.com.
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