Warnock: The Non-Negotiables of Personal Growth: Strategies for Becoming Your Best Self

BETTERING YOURSELF STARTS WITH YOU.
BY KENDALL WARNOCK

Are you willing to put in the work to become a better version of yourself? In the hundreds of books I’ve read on the topic, I’ve compiled my list of non-negotiables to chase perfection in life, knowing I won’t ever catch it but also knowing I will narrow the gap daily. Every one of us—no matter our age or chapter(s) in business or life—can find ways to improve.  

Although I can tell you everything you need to know to better yourself, at the end of the day, I can't do the work for you.

Take Stock Before Taking Flight

Here’s my non-negotiable list:

Stomp out excuses and complaints. Whining and coming up with excuses as to why you can't do something is weakness. You have to train your brain to dismantle your excuses and take action in spite of them. You will never be able to better yourself if you allow excuses to stand in the way of progress.

Take ownership of your life. The world has enough professional victims.  You must understand that your actions and choices have created the life you have right now. Start taking ownership of your life by adopting this mindset and focusing on controlling the variables that are in your control:

• The food you eat.
• The content you consume.
• The amount of water you drink.
• The people you surround yourself with.
• The way you spend your time.

You control a lot more than you realize, and likely a lot more than you're taking responsibility for currently. Bettering yourself starts with taking ownership of yourself and your life.

Set clear goals. You must set and start pursuing your biggest goals. They should be big enough to force you to take massive action and specific enough to be able to measure your progress. If your goals are small and attainable, they won't be enough to keep you inspired over the long term. If your goals are vague or unspecific, there will be no way to measure your progress. Both elements are crucial for forming goals that will actually help you better yourself.

Gearing up for Greatness

Big, crystal-clear goals will force you to take the actions necessary and hold you accountable to whether you're actually progressing or not. It's through this process of pursuing your biggest goals in life and refining your approach and daily actions that you'll be bettering yourself.

Start reading. One of the best things you can do every day to better yourself is by reading. I'm talking about books that will teach you new information and fresh perspectives while sharpening new skills. These are the types of books that will help you become a better version of yourself. I attribute a lot of my success in life to reading. You'll be amazed by how big of an impact reading can have on your life, too. Do I necessarily like reading? No. But I love the results, in you’ll begin to see them, too, in your relationships, your career, your friendships, and your decision-making.  

Take your health seriously. Diet and exercise aren't just to help you look better; they're also to help you feel better and become better. Your mind and body are the two most important tools you use every single day to build the life you want. Diet and exercise just happen to be the means to strengthen these tools. There isn't a single person I consider to be successful who doesn't prioritize their health. They are consistently bettering themselves through their commitment to building a stronger mind and body. If you plan on reaching your biggest goals in life, you have to make this same commitment.

Spend time improving your craft every day. I'm not saying you have to be working every single day. If you want to you absolutely can. What I'm saying is you should spend some time every day learning new skills that will help you become a master of your craft. Let's say you run your own company. Are you doing something every day that will help improve the business? Whether it’s fixing day-to-day operations, learning and implementing new leadership skills, or trying new marketing strategies, you should be doing things that will help you become a master of your craft.

Do challenging things. Comfort leads to complacency. Keep making progress and bettering yourself by embracing uncomfortable situations. You cannot grow and learn without them. And even if you fail—which you will—these failures will only help you make better decisions in the future. So do not fear risk or discomfort; both are necessary components to gaining the lessons and experiences you need to win long-term. The only way to improve yourself is by getting uncomfortable. And what better way to get uncomfortable than by intentionally doing the uncomfortable things? There is no better way.

How to Get Started

Have you considered running a marathon? How about dieting for 30 days without cheating? Or what about doing an Ironman competition? If you're not sure exactly where you can start to challenge yourself as a whole, begin with a few basic steps:

Exercise discipline. Greatness requires SAVAGE discipline that is exercised daily. But first you need to find ways to build your discipline. To begin, start with a simple exercise. Any time you have the chance to fix something or execute at the highest level possible, do it: 

• If there's a piece of trash on the ground, pick it up.
• If there's a spill or a mess that you come across, clean it.
• If you still have work to do after your scheduled hours for the day, stay later to finish.
• If you use the bathroom, wipe the toilet seat and wipe the sink clean.

The amount of discipline you exercise in your life will be directly reflected in every area of your life.

Create a plan and execute it. I’m sure you’ve already started thinking of multiple ways you can become the best version of yourself. That's great. Just make sure that after you have your plan in place you execute. That’s how winners do it. A plan is nothing without action.

Develop mental toughness. This is the single most important skill you need to develop to win in any area of life. And if you want the quickest way to make yourself better, become extremely intentional about building this skill. Mental toughness is the literal foundation upon which every other skill is built. It's also a skill that will be required to get wherever it is you're trying to go. Life will be an endless string of challenges until the day you die. Mental toughness will give you the capability of overcoming any challenge you're presented.

Don’t Wait

What’s keeping you from becoming the best version of yourself? It’s you. Have you ever considered just how much you’re leaving out on the table? We can all do better, be better. Think about the person you could become. Think about what that will mean for your life and the people around you. Now think about how to get and take that first step.