Don’t try to just jump further

I’ve shared before that I have a competitive streak in me. It’s one of the reasons I’m drawn to performance optimization — the thrill of chasing (and beating!) a score really motivates me to be my best.

Even if you’re not competitive by nature, there is something about a challenge that lights up a different part of your brain.

What’s neat about this is that once you recognize it, you can channel this competitive energy into almost any aspect of your business to create your own missions.

Take sales, for instance. I’ll be honest — selling isn’t my favorite thing. But, by setting a daily challenge like “make one sale every day”, my whole approach shifts.

It’s not just about doing one thing; it’s about how this mission helps shift all my decisions and interactions. Suddenly, the way I respond to inquiries, follow up with prospects, or pitch solutions is skewed towards making the sale.

With the “one sale a day” goal in mind, I find myself being more proactive, more engaging, and more solution-oriented.

But this doesn’t just apply to sales — you can use this tactic to improve any area of your business where you need a boost…

• Client Engagement: Challenge yourself to reach out to one client per day. It could be a quick check-in, a feedback request, or just sharing something valuable. It’s a 2-minute task that goes a long way in strengthening your relationships with your clients.
• Content Creation: Set a mission to publish something every day. It doesn’t have to be big — but imagine how much better your social presence would be if you post just one thing per day (and yes, it could be sharing a valuable resource someone else created!).
• Health: It’s easy to neglect our own health when we’re sat behind a computer all day, but giving yourself a challenge to hit a certain number of steps, or eat a portion of veggies could be a huge step in the right direction.

The idea is to turn these little challenges into habits that drive your business (and personal) growth.

Where you are now and where you want to be might have a giant chasm between them. The best way to get across isn’t to try to jump further, it’s to build a bridge one step at a time.

Where are you struggling? Think about how can you challenge yourself — or set off on a mission — to take those small steps.