Work harder on yourself than you do on your job

When I attended the Leadership at the Peak program with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), I remember wishing I had come to Boulder, Colorado, 15 years sooner. 

At age 45, this program was a life-changing moment for me in my leadership journey. And what hit me the hardest was the fact that they were preaching and teaching something I had been introduced to years earlier – this idea that we are “whole” people. We have lives outside of the office – families, friends, church relationships, YMCA swimming buddies and more. 

One of my mentors had shared a similar concept presented by American entrepreneur Jim Rohn: Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. This conviction is rooted in personal development and constant learning.

At a recent workshop, I was asked, “what exactly does this mean?” The concept can take on different forms for different people. For some, it means physically working out. For others, it could mean reading the Bible or some meaningful books. Still others might talk about meditating, eating right and getting enough sleep. That’s the point I shared at the workshop; it’s up to the individual. Working on oneself can take a number of forms depending on the time and situation – and it’s often a combination of things since we are “whole” people. 

CCL’s programming is organized around different aspects of life: career, family, self and community. They call these the four facets of holistic leadership. All of these facets are surrounded by your spiritual “north star,” which, for me, is God. 

For me, personal development – or becoming the best version of myself I can be – means living with intentionality and not just letting life happen to me. While I cannot control what goes on around me, I can control me. Again, Jim Rohn suggests that if you want to change your circumstances in life, you must be the change.

Here’s a short list of various things I use to work on “being a better Bill”: 

• Reading books

• Watching TED talks

• Listening to sermons

• Listening to podcasts

• Reading Harvard Business Review

• Taking online classes

• Playing racquetball

• Swimming

• Reading my Bible

• Taking time for daily devotional reading 

• Journaling

• Participating in water aerobics (there’s a story there for another day!)

You’ll notice I don’t watch the news – ever. I don’t spend much (or any) time on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or any social media platform, other than LinkedIn. I quickly glance at news headlines here and there, but very little time is spent on things that aren’t going to help me be a better version of myself today than I was yesterday. 

I once heard this described as watching out for negative energy vampires, meaning watch who you spend time with and how you spend your time. It all goes back to living with intentionality. And intentionality begins with setting goals and working to achieve them.

Remember: Life’s a journey, not a destination. You must work harder on yourself than you do on your job if you want to be the best possible version of you. Here’s to figuring out how to live abundantly – as your WHOLE self – each day!