Can You Simply Do Better?

A friend of mine recently posted to her Instagram account a typographical image that said, “Do Better.”

I have added the exact image here.

So, when I saw the image I was compelled to reply with, “Change Do to Be.”

Why did I write this?

We can not always change the circumstances that we are faced with, but we can always change ourselves. I have found in life that change really does start from the inside out. It would be infinitely difficult to simply do better if you were the same person inside that you were the next time you tried to do better. Thus, we must first seek to be better before we can do better. This direction of thought reminds me of a quote from Zig Ziglar that sums up a similar idea that he once shared.

You’ve got to be before you can do and do before you can have.

-Zig Ziglar

Let’s dissect this quote, shall we?

You’ve got to be ___________ before you can do ___________ and do ___________ before you can have ___________.

Friendship:

• You’ve got to be a friend to yourself before you can do friendly things for others and do friendly things for others before you can have friendship.

Relationship:

• You’ve got to be caring for yourself before you can do caring things for others and do caring things for others before you can have a relationship.

Success:

• You’ve got to be in service to yourself before you can do service for someone else and do service for someone else before you can have success.

Sometimes the best advice is so small that it is missed or misunderstood.

I know, looking back, that there were quotes which I read and still remember that could have changed my course in life sooner. However, at that time, I just wasn’t ready because I wasn’t looking to be the change I wanted.

You ended up here and are reading this because you are interested in change to some degree. Do you think you are ready?

I write these blog posts in hopes that they can strike a chord, if not for the person they are intended for, maybe an onlooker. At minimum, hopefully someone passing through my friends Instagram will see my comment and decide to simply be better, or, maybe you will read this and choose to be better. You deserve it.