It’s a simple question.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Would you become more patient?
More disciplined?
Less anxious?
More confident?
Healthier?
Kinder?
More successful?
More courageous?
It’s an interesting exercise because the first answer that comes to mind often reveals something important about how you currently see yourself.
But after asking that question for years, I’ve come to believe there’s a better one.
What one change would improve the greatest number of other things in your life?
That’s a very different question.
Most people think in terms of symptoms.
I’d rather think in terms of leverage.
Imagine becoming just a little less reluctant.
Would you finally make that phone call?
Would you apply for the promotion?
Would you have the difficult conversation?
Would you write the book?
Would you take the trip?
Would you become healthier because you finally started exercising instead of thinking about exercising?
One meaningful change often creates dozens of positive consequences.
The same is true if your answer is curiosity.
Become more curious and you begin reading more books.
Asking better questions.
Meeting more interesting people.
Traveling with greater purpose.
Learning skills you never imagined having.
One improvement begins improving many others.
Maybe your answer is discipline.
Suddenly your finances improve.
Your fitness improves.
Your confidence grows.
People trust you more because you consistently do what you say you’ll do.
Again…
One meaningful change.
Many meaningful results.
That’s one reason I’ve become fascinated with identifying what I call high-leverage personal improvements.
Instead of trying to change everything…
find the one thing that changes many things.
For me, one of those high-leverage changes has been becoming less reluctant.
Not reckless.
Not impulsive.
Just less willing to let unnecessary hesitation quietly direct my life.
That one change has influenced my writing.
My travel.
My photography.
My business.
My friendships.
My willingness to start new projects.
Even my happiness.
Reluctance doesn’t usually destroy our dreams.
It simply asks us to postpone them.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until postponement quietly becomes our lifestyle.
Here’s the encouraging news.
You probably don’t need to become an entirely different person.
You may simply need to strengthen one characteristic that naturally improves many others.
So I’ll leave you with the same question.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?
Now let me make it a little harder.
Which one change would improve the greatest number of other areas of your life?
Think carefully before you answer.
Because the right answer may not simply improve one part of your life.
It may quietly transform all of it.
