Are you the same person you were a year ago?

In the 1980 presidential election Ronald Reagan ended Jimmy Carter's bid for re-election with just one question: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

The answer for most was a resounding “No” and Reagan won in a landslide.

While Reagan asked the question of the American people as a whole, I believe the key to our success is to ask that question to ourselves.

Are you better off than you were a year ago? 

Or are you in a similar place or even in a worse place?

The challenge is to ask this question to yourself on a regular basis. And then to go one step further: What have you done to get better and grow?

We all have an obsession with being comfortable. We want to know what to expect. For most of us, our days are pretty normal. Same thing just a different day. 

No one wakes up in the morning and vows to make their day uncomfortable.

However, the only way to grow is to get uncomfortable.

I believe one of the saddest things is to look back a year in your life and see the same person.

So if you were to fast forward one year from today, how are you different? How have you grown?

The key is to try new things every day that push you. Push yourself to learn new things.

Reach out to people who are better than you and ask questions. Take online classes in something that intrigues you. Even easier, watch a how-to video on YouTube. Spend time with new people.

It's a lot easier to do what you've always done. But then at the end of the year you'll be the person you've always been. While some may be okay with that, the greatest people who make the greatest impact never stop pushing themselves to get better.

Get uncomfortable today, this week, this month. Constantly try new things. It won't matter what's happening around you. You will have control of your life and you will be proud of the person you've become.