I recently read this quote and it got me thinking about why we always feel we need to be better than each other rather than just trying to be better than ourselves.
Pride is an enemy of self-improvement and gets in the way of learning new things and learning from our mistakes. Learning new skills can make us feel inadequate, which is hard for someone who might be very good at their job or a certain skill. But remember that we don't get good at things unless we practice. I struggle with this almost every day in school. I have been a nurse for 6 years and am very comfortable in that role, however I am now expanding that role to become a nurse practitioner. The skills needed for that role are something that I have to practice, just like I had to practice the skills I needed to become a good nurse.
If we don't take time to learn new skills and feel uncomfortable with where we are, then we get complacent and stop improving. Rather than being an expert, be a learner.
We should value self-improvement over self-promotion. It's hard to do this in a society that places such high value on things, but having all the things in the world will probably not make you happy. There is an article on Forbes.com about personal branding and leadership, and even if your goal is not to become a leader, it has some vauable points. We are all our own personal brand and rather than promoting ourselves, we should be developing ourselves in a way that shows the value of what we deliver to those we are serving, not a shameless self-promotion campaign.
What are you doing to make yourself better than your previous self?
