…I’m competing against last year’s version of me.
Yes. That’s become very cliché with self-improvement types. But if you haven’t heard it a million times already, there ya go.
How are you doing? Well? Great! If you got something to teach me, I’m all ears.
Poorly? Then get better.
How well you’re doing though doesn’t affect my performance. If anything though, I want you to improve because maybe you can teach me something.
Report card
It’s important to be introspective. And honest with yourself.
If you lack either of those, you’ll have a tougher time improving. Unless of course you have a good coach.
There are some personal issues that still need attention. I still have some blind spots I’m dealing with.
But my art, my music, and my writing have all gotten better. Especially my art.
I’ve taken a lot of chances with my art. Of course the lessons help too. I told someone on Instagram (actually one of my Opium Pals links in the sidebar) that of all the art lessons, gesture drawings helped the most. You can clearly see the before and after gesture drawings.
I even practice gesture drawings first thing in the morning. After 50 push-ups, Romanian lessons, and piano. Then I do gesture drawings and one chapter of the Bible.
That’s every single morning.
What about you?
Do you grade yourself? Do you give yourself a yearly checkup?
If so, are you improving? Or getting worse?
No such thing as staying the same. Like it or not, you get a year older and aging is real. Like I told a friend of mine, the 30-year-old version of me would knock me out in less than 10 seconds.
That’s not an exaggeration. There’s a reason why people like Tom Brady and George Foreman are very, very rare. Physically, aging’s definitely a challenge.
The good thing though is you can keep your mind sharp for a long time. I’ll write more on that another day.