One teenage summer, I gave myself pep talks using the affirmation coined by French psychologist Emile Coue: every day in every way, I am getting better and better. His unsubstantiated conviction that optimistic autosuggestion was the key to health and success aligned with my youthful goals to perfect my backhand and deepen my tan. I mean, when you’re young, it’s all about every day in every way rewarding you with an observable measure of improvement.
Of course, there comes a point when better and better isn’t a sustainable trajectory. This truth comes both as a bummer and a huge relief. You mature, and realize letting go of getting better at stuff isn’t a giving up, but an acceptance of the way life works.
Sure, there’s excitement in the striving, but there’s deep sweetness in acceptance, and the genuine appreciation of exactly where life has landed you. Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better at this place, this moment, and happy.