Focus on Doing This One Thing Every Single Day

In college, I had the wonderful privilege of playing football for coach Terry Hoeppner at Indiana University. 

He was the type of leader who made a lasting impression on me after the first meeting for the rest of my life. His energy, enthusiasm and passion to bring out the best in others is what totally reeled me in when the time came for me to decide where I would play college football. 

I still get the question all the time: “Why did you choose Indiana when you had the opportunity to go to programs that won championships before?” The reason why I chose Indiana University over other schools is because of the man who made a profound difference in my life, coach Hoeppner.

While I was at Indiana University, I and other members of my football team wore shirts with the letters GBT engraved on the back.  
This stands for “Get Better Today.” Coach Hep would remind us over and over again that the only thing that truly matters is to capitalize on the opportunity to live another day and promise ourselves to "GBT." Above all else, if we focused on getting just a little better than the day before, over time the results would be substantial.

I still use the GBT method today and speak about it wherever I go. It doesn’t matter the type of work you do. This method can take you to the top and help you become the absolute best at what you do over time.

Something I often see is people seeking instant gratification without putting in the necessary work required. People forget the importance of waking up each morning and focusing solely on maximizing their life for that particular day -- not tomorrow, next week or next month, but today.

Whether you're an executive, teacher, salesman or stay-at-home mom, you have the opportunity to get better today. Every single day you're faced with countless obligations and distractions. It’s your job to minimize the things standing in your way preventing you from becoming the best version of yourself and being phenomenal in the game of life.

One of the first decisions you can make is to determine that each day no matter what your circumstances are, the struggles you're facing or how unhappy you are, you will find ways to get better. Some days will be challenging and will consume all your energy. But if you don't make a deliberate effort to get better, you won't.

Make the decision to GBT. Write it down on a Post-it note and place it where you can see it five or six times every day. Pick one area that you want to get better in for that day and write that down, too. Carry it in your wallet or purse and look at it every chance you get.

Over time, your decision to get better every single day will reap tremendous benefits in your life and drastically increase your success rate.

Matt Mayberry