“Improvement is a daily commitment.”
Ed Agresta

One of the motivational hot lines I call every day is Ed Agresta’s “Power Thoughts” (609.660.8156). He often has pithy, insightful ideas to share that give me a boost — and something to think about. Just recently, he talked about three questions that we can ask ourselves on a daily basis to help us move in the direction we want to go:

“What did I learn today?”
“How did I grow today?”
“What will I do differently tomorrow?”

There’s something about these questions that caught my attention. I can see that asking them at the end of a day would be a good way to make sure that I’m bringing curiosity and the desire to learn to my work.

So often, we get into a rut and feel that we’re not learning or growing. I know, because I’ve been there. Sometimes I feel like I’m holding on to the page by my fingernails and that I’m about to fall off it. This usually happens when I’ve hit a tough part of a draft or feel that something isn’t working.

I’m sure you know the feeling. At times like these it’s easy to feel that nothing’s working — and nothing’s going to work. But if we can stop and ask ourselves, “What have I learned here?” or “What do I need to do differently?” then we can salvage something from a rough work session that’s valuable and useful. We can take away something that can help move us forward even in a moment when we don’t feel like we’re making any progress. So let’s try it — and write on!