1%

A good part of my day on Monday was spent cleaning the kitchen and dining room.Instead of turning Pandora on and listening to music while I was working, I decided to listen to an audio book on Audible.
BTW....I highly recommend this "treat" which I have gifted to myself. The cost is minimal  and I get a new book every month. I listen when I can in my car or at my desk when I take a short break or as I did on Monday, while I am tinkering around the house.I still love reading a hard copy book as well. however audio books have greatly enhanced my library.
But I digress!
The book I chose to listen to, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, has adorned my bookshelf for at least a decade. During that time , I have probably picked it up and began reading it 15 or 20 times.It's a short read, probably something I would normally knock off on a plane ride . For some unknown reason which I have yet to figure out, I never seem to have been able to just finish reading this tale. I purchased it on Audible 2 months ago and started listening to it 2 or 3 times with out success since then.
Monday was different. 
As I was going about my chores I listened intently to the story. When I felt I was being interrupted, I paused the audio, and when I started it back up, I would rewind to 2 minutes earlier, not just pick up where I left off. 
The story was engaging.
The message was simple ,direct and to the point.
And now, it has taken its place on the top of my list of "must reads".
I would love to be able to say that I am a prolific reader. That's just not the case. I have read more in the last 3 or 4 years than I have in the last 3 or 4 decades. And while I never ,or rarely , tell any one what they should do, reading  would be high on my list of "must do" activities.and since I am putting it out there, reading something other than fiction is a plus in my book.
In his daily message today,my mentor Darren Hardy talks about gifting yourself with education. Not the 13 years of crap that was forced upon you from kindergarten until you graduated high school. He talks about real education. Learning the things that will help you be better. Learning the things that will help you be successful. Learning that helps you grow as a person.
All of this brings me back to my January word of the month...GOALS.
Yesterday I proclaimed my first goal, to complete the next phase of preparing my book. My second goal for 2017 is 1%. I will be 1% better today than I was yesterday.
Success does not happen over night. No one goes from zero to hero in the blink of an eye.
The Compound Effect ,(another must read) is the accumulated success you develop by making minor improvements on a daily basis.
The question I will answer daily is what choices can I make today that are better than the ones I made yesterday. Tomorrow will take care of itself. 
It's like the instructions on a shampoo bottle,lather rinse repeat.
If I am 1% better today than yesterday and I continue that process every single day,the road inevitably leads to success.
Just 1%.
Much like Rome, a better me is not built in a day!