It's the time of year when everyone is making New Year's resolutions and setting goals for the coming year.

What do you hope to achieve in 2021? How do you want to improve yourself and your career?

For many of us, it's been a complicated year and we're looking for some change and improvement.

But too often we fall into the trap of thinking we have to reinvent the wheel and start completely fresh. If we want to make more money, we have to start a brand new business. If we want to lose weight, we have to go on a crash diet.

But that's not true—you don't have to start completely over to find success and happiness.

Instead of setting New Year's resolutions, I follow the 5% rule. Each day, I try to be 5% better than the day before. I'm not starting over from nothing; I'm building on what I already have and trying my best to improve every day. I don't have to start over to get healthy or build a successful business. I work with what I have and improve it piece by piece. Over time, the 5% rule ends up increasing and accelerating the changes I'm trying to make.

2020 was a rough year. Instead of beating ourselves up when we don't achieve our lofty goals, we need to show ourselves grace and kindness. Talk to yourself kindly and do the best you can. Instead of feeling the pressure to create this big, amazing thing over night, the 5% rule lets you try your best every day and make small, incremental improvements.

We don't need more rules. Instead, we need to give ourselves love and nourishment. We need to check in with ourselves emotionally to really see how we are doing and how we can grow and improve.

Make 2021 your year, but don't feel like you have to do it all at once. Be kind to yourself. Aim to be 5% better each day and simply do your best. Over time, you'll find you've reached where you want to be and become the best version of yourself.

To keep improving yourself and continue your entrepreneurial journey in 2020, be sure to check out the BYOB Podcast and our YouTube Channel for proven tips and useful advice.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. Sign up for her new course here. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.