“All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.” — Charlie Munger

Last week, I talked about who I was on my best days and how different that person was from me on my worst days.

I want to be that best-day-Brad more often!

So I looked again at that description of worst-day-Brad – why was he ever showing up?

Worst-day-Brad was more likely to show up when:

1. I was tired; when I was overworking or didn’t get good sleep.
2. I was rushed; when I’m cramming 14 hours of work into a 9-hour day.
3. I was feeling afraid or threatened. Those were moments when I’d feel like I needed to fight my way out!
4. I was facing something that seemed immense; I didn’t feel like anyone was on my side. When I felt alone with my troubles, I could get very selfish!

This is where I started thinking like Charlie Munger!

If I know some things that bring out the traits of worst-day-Brad, what could I do to keep those things from happening?

• I could focus on getting good sleep. This eliminates about 50% of my bad days.
• I also found that consistent workouts helped me regulate my body to improve my sleep and mood.
• I rearranged my calendar to have more space. When I have buffer time between my meetings, I don’t have that rushed feeling that makes me feel overwhelmed and pressured. This also made a substantial difference.
• I started noticing when I felt afraid, threatened, or alone and made it a point to phone a friend instead of trying to press through them.

The thing is, this didn’t just mean that I had more good days. When I changed how I lived, the people around me responded in kind. My wife and I found more time to connect. My teenage son would stop by and share things from his day. I connected with my friends more often. Issues with my team were resolved more quickly and with less stress. I closed more new business!

My choice to make a change meant that others around me also changed!

Now it’s your turn.

Grab a piece of paper and make two lists. One list is words you’d use to describe yourself on your best day. Another list is words you’d use to describe yourself on your worst day.

What would your life be like if you were your best-day-self more often? What would it mean for your business? Your family?

What do you need to show up as your best-day-self more consistently?

P.S. If you’d like to explore this more deeply, I’m hosting a workshop this Friday (3/14) at Noon Central time. Click here for more information and to sign up. The workshop is my gift to you!