Be Better Than Yesterday

Fast Success Everywhere

In our fast-paced world, we are surrounded by fast success. Reddit shows us the latest GameStop millionaire or the crypto investor who just made thousands in a single day. We then open up LinkedIn and see entrepreneurs having success after success. Finally, we see picture-perfect families on Facebook and Instagram.

Constantly soaking in these stories, we can feel as though we will never measure up to others. We become discouraged. The alternative is that we set lofty goals, pushing ourselves until we burn out and fall back to our starting place.

Both paths lead to the same place.

Hopelessness.

A feeling that no matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough.

Defining Success

If we want to break out of this cycle, we have to start by defining success in a way that is actually attainable. We need a definition that doesn’t crush us before we ever get started.

Here is the definition I want to propose:

Success is being better today than you were yesterday.

That line seems pretty underwhelming at first, but it can drastically change our lives. Success is no longer a comparison against others; it becomes a comparison against ourselves.

It removes the despair—and even the self-hatred—that comparison creates. It combats the envy we can feel toward the success of others.

This is freedom.

The Problem With Comparison

When we look at success around us, we almost always miss the context. Some people are born into wealth or faith. Others begin life with heavy disadvantages. We also have to account for different temperaments, genetics, and circumstances.

We cannot help how we start or the gifts we are given. This makes it nearly impossible to measure ourselves against others in any meaningful way. The only honest measuring stick is ourselves from the past.

Are we better today than we were yesterday?

The Apprentice Mindset

When I start comparing myself to others, I like to think of myself as a medieval craftsman’s apprentice.

This can apply to whatever you are trying to learn or improve. For me, one example was lifting weights at the gym a couple of years ago. An apprentice has a master, books, videos, or a real person who instructs them. Through daily struggle and repetition, the apprentice slowly gains skill. At the end of a long process, they themselves become a master.

That is exactly what I experienced with lifting.

I watched videos. I learned from friends who could lift more than me. I made mistakes and learned from them. I didn’t go to the gym for three hours every day. I instead started with three days a week for about two hours, then later shifted to shorter sessions.

It didn’t require a drastic change or some heroic effort.
It required intentional, consistent work.

I wanted to be better today than I was yesterday.

That mindset allowed progress to build over time and pushed me far beyond what I thought was possible for myself.

What We Forget

A common pitfall is looking at the master and forgetting all the work it took to get there.

We forget that they struggled.
We forget that they failed.
We forget that saints have pasts—often messy ones.
We forget that even the greatest kings and queens started as children with much to learn.

We are all human. We all started as apprentices—ready to learn, but lacking skill. No one begins with all the answers.

Time, the great gift that it is, gives us the chance to grow into a true master.

Small Steps, Real Impact

If we want success, we must be willing to put in the work. And we can start small. Even a one-percent improvement is still a success.

Taking ten to fifteen intentional minutes a day to grow will pay huge dividends over time.

And this growth doesn’t stop with us.

When we improve, we are better equipped to form others and strengthen the community around us. If we choose stagnation instead, that too ripples outward.

The question is not whether our lives will have an impact.

The real question is whether that impact will be intentional—or accidental.

Forge Ahead

Anvil: the place of formation.
Arrow: the mission we’re sent on.

The world needs more men formed in virtue. Forward this to a brother who’s ready to grow.

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