“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.“
During the month of March each year all across the United States, people celebrate Women’s History Month. This blog was created to encourage, inspire, and motivate people to be their best at work and home. During the month of March each year, we share quotes from Maya Angelou. Each quote is analyzed to show why Angelou’s words, written so long ago are appropriate for today’s entrepreneurs.
So, sit back read the beautiful words, enjoy my video presentation, then check out the analysis. Stay with us for the entire month and feel free to share your own interpretation in the comments. Today’s quote is:
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.“
This quote is important because it has three lessons for entrepreneurs. These lessons are:
- Always do your best.
- Work to make your best better.
- Use what you learn.
Always do your best.
In order to succeed, entrepreneurs must take care to always do their best. As entrepreneurs, we must take care never to settle for providing less than our best. Our customers deserve our best. Our employees deserve to see us operating at our best. We owe it to ourselves to give our businesses our best. If you do less than your best once and are successful, it is easy to think you should do less than your best again. It is a slippery slope and one day, without noticing the decline, you will be in the habit of doing less than your best. If you habitually do less than your best, you will not achieve the success, profitability, and productivity you should. That perhaps is one of the most important reasons why you should always do your best.
If you want to read more about lessons for entrepreneurs, check out:
3 Lessons From People Who Refuse to Take Action Now
There are 3 lessons I have learned from people who refuse to TAN aka Take Action Now. A smart entrepreneur can learn something new every day if she tries. There are some people who take action now and get things done. Click here to read more.
and
“The Harder They Fall” and 3 Excellent Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Recently, I watched the Netflix movie, “The Harder They Fall” and it had three lessons for entrepreneurs. These lessons are: sometimes things are hard, you cannot sit around waiting for destiny, loyalty doesn’t last forever for everyone. Click here to read more.
Also, check out our Confidence Tip of the Day YouTube channel for hundreds of videos on creating the confidence you need to succeed.
Work to make your best better.
As an entrepreneur, you should always be improving, always be learning, and always be looking for ways to make your best better. Improvement is a constant in life. Change is another constant in life. In the life of an entrepreneur, technology will be developed that has the potential to improve the way the entrepreneur does business. Laws, regulations, and competitors will change. These things will have an impact on an entrepreneur’s business. Smart entrepreneurs will consistently work to make their best better.
Use what you learn.
It is not enough to pay attention to changes and improvements in your industry, you must also use what you learn. It is not enough for an entrepreneur to keep up with changes in her industry. She must also use what she learns to improve her business. Once upon a time, entrepreneurs faxed documents to one another. Today that same information is sent by email, instant message, or text. An entrepreneur who still relies on faxes only is not the entrepreneur she could be. Each day blogs, magazines, and newspapers publish industry-changing news, announce technological breakthroughs, and money-making techniques. It is not enough for entrepreneurs to learn about these things. Entrepreneurs must actually use what they learn.
Never forget, Maya Angelou was correct when she said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.“ Also, be sure to remember the three lessons for entrepreneurs from this quote: always do your best, work to make your best better, and use what you learn.
