Take It Up a Notch

Hey—if you caught that opening energy, you already know… we’re not here to overhaul your life—we’re here to upgrade it.

Set to the driving sound of “Uber on Over” by Brazen Candor, this episode brings The NoCryZone mindset front and center: positive change that is doable and durable.

I’m Jim Best, and in this episode, we break down one of the most practical—and powerful—ideas you can apply immediately:

Take it up a notch.

Most people think meaningful change has to be dramatic.

It doesn’t.

In fact, many people aren’t stuck… they’re simply under-calibrated—living just below a level that’s already within reach.

This episode shows you how to:

• Upgrade your relationships without grand gestures
• Improve communication without becoming someone you’re not
• Design weekends that actually feel well-lived
• Elevate your health, training, and nutrition without obsession
• Turn goals into real movement—not just intentions
• Improve your environment, attitude, and self-respect in simple, actionable ways

This isn’t about intensity.

It’s not about perfection.

It’s not about becoming extreme.

It’s about intentional elevation—a little more thought, a little more care, a little more purpose.

Because here’s the truth:

A better life is often just one notch away.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re capable of more—but don’t need a complete reset to get there—this episode will show you exactly where to start.

 Listen in, pick your area, and take it up a notch.

Follow Jim Best at UpwardsBest to listen, learn, explore, and stay connected to daily insights for positive change that’s both doable and durable.

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The NoCryZone is an UpwardsBest endeavor, produced by BestStoryAlive, LLC.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Hey, that intro song is Uber on Over by Brazen Candor. Rocking It Texas Roadhouse style and taking it up a notch. And you are in the no-cry zone where we zero in on positive change that is doable and durable. I'm your host, Jim Best, and we are going to tell you in detail, without getting tedious, how you can take things in your life up a notch. Let's be candid, shall we? Most people think change has to be dramatic to matter. It doesn't. A lot of life gets better when you simply decide to take it up a notch. Not into mania, not into perfectionism, not into some exhausting version of yourself that even you wouldn't want to be around. Just into a better gear. A little more thought, a little more effort, a little more class, a little more style, a little more purpose. That's where real quality of life starts to rise. And because here's the truth: most people are not stuck. They're undercalibrated. They're living at a setting that's just a little too low, maybe a little too slow, when a better setting is clearly available and doesn't take very much effort. And that's what we're talking about today. Take it up a notch. We recently did the proof of living exercise, planning a three-day weekend with intention. We had a lot of positive feedback about that. And what that reveals is something important. Most people don't have a life problem. They have an underdesigned life. They have an idea problem. They drift in their time. They undershoot their per possibilities. They default instead of deciding. And they don't take things up a notch. So let's talk about where, in very practical terms, you can do exactly that. Not ten areas, not all at once, not trick shots, just start seeing where the next notch is available. In what area of your life? For instance, relationships. Take your relationships up a notch. Not with grand gestures, but with better presence. Ask one better question. Listen all the way through instead of thinking about what you're going to say next. Be a little warmer when you walk in the door. Say something specific instead of something generic. Plan something. Don't just say whatever you want to do. Because here's the truth a better relationship is often hiding behind one notch better attention. Not a new partner, not a dramatic reset, just better presence. Take your communication up a notch. This is an easy one. Most people don't need to become master communicators overnight. They just need to become clearer, calmer, and more deliberate, more thoughtful. Say what you mean sooner. Reduce the rambling. Make eye contact. Replace vague frustration with articulate truth. Because a lot of what people call conflict isn't cruelty. It's clumsy communication. Take it up a notch. Say it better. Say it clearer. Say it cleaner. Say it with a little more intention. Or a lot more intention. Be the best communicator in each interaction you have. That's a great goal. And you can do it. Take your weekends up a notch. This is where it gets real fun. Free time is not automatically fulfilling. You've been bored out of your mind on the weekend. Free time has to be shaped to be meaningful. Plan one memorable thing and build momentum. But start with just one. Mix a little rest, a little fun, a little order, a little growth. Decide ahead of time what would make the weekend feel well lived. Well worth your time. Because it is your time, it's your life. Because if you don't decide, you drift, you wander, you waste your life. And if you drift, you under live. How sad is that? Free time improves the moment it becomes intentional. Take your weekend up a notch. Now next, super important. And you'll probably say, I already do that, but I guarantee you you can take it up a notch. And I'm talking about your health. Not obsession. Not an overhaul. Just an upgrade. One better meal choice per day. One more walk per week. A little more discipline with your sleep. Hydrate with intention. You don't need a new body overnight. You don't need to hire a staff of trainers. You need better physical stewardship. That's a notch up. And it compounds. Take your training up a notch. Now we're talking about effort, self-respect, execution. This is where a lot of people confuse intensity with purpose. Intensity is not the only upgrade. You don't just have one gear to shift into. Precision is an upgrade too. Better form, more consistency, a plan instead of guesswork, a purpose instead of mood. Take your training up a notch. Not louder, not crazy. You don't have to go nuts with it. Just better. And take your nutrition up a notch. Most people already know what better looks like here. The issue isn't information. It's intention. Eat before you get overly hungry. Reduce mindless snacking. Be a little more deliberate about quality and timing. Because nutrition improves when eating becomes less accidental. Less accidental, more intentional. Don't just grab what they have in a deli counter. Think first. You know you're gonna be hungry at some point in the day. That's the notch up. Simple stuff. Take your goals up a notch. This is the one that people have the most fun with, not by making them bigger, by making them real, actionable. Remember, we focus on positive change that is doable and durable. Goals are the gears that you go through to get there. By making them real. Write them down. You've got a good memory, I'm proud of you. But write your goals down. Put them on a calendar. Identify your next action. Track something. Keep yourself on track. Because a dream changes the moment it gets structured. A dream goes up a notch when it gets a timeline, a plan, and a next step. If I told you, hey, I don't think your goals are worth writing down, you'd get upset about that, I would imagine. Now, why aren't you writing them down? Oh, you are? Great. Encourage somebody else to do it. That's when it stopped being a wish. That's when you become a net positive. And your goal is to get traction when you go into action. Now, here's a really pleasant one. Take your environment up a notch. This one gets overlooked. Because, well, that's just where I live. But it matters. Make one room better. Clean it up. Sort things out. Improve the lighting. Reduce the chaos. Create an atmosphere that supports who you're trying to be. No, wait a minute. Create an atmosphere that supports who you are committed to becoming. Because sometimes the reason your life feels low grade, and don't pretend you haven't felt that way before, it's because your environment is low grade and you're responding to it. Or languishing in it. Every day. Take it up a notch. It's not that hard. And take your attitude up a notch. Not fake positivity, not forced optimism, better posture towards life. Complain less. Solve more. Appreciate more. Meet inconvenience with a little more maturity. Be a little more encouraging to others and to yourself. Because a stronger life often begins with a less sloppy attitude. That's not harsh. That's accurate. Take it up a notch. If you think you got a perfect attitude, ask your friends and loved ones for feedback. Ask them, do you think I have a really great attitude all the time? You please write me if you have three people that say that in your life because you will be a remarkable person. Most of us, the vast majority, can improve our attitudes. Take yourself respect up a notch. This might be the most important one, although, as you've seen, they're all important. Keep small promises to yourself. Dress a little more intentionally. Make yourself proud when you look in the mirror. Speak up when something matters. Stop tolerating certain forms of self-neglect. Carry yourself like your life matters. Because you know what? It does. Here's something people miss though. Self-respect is often built through upgraded behavior before upgraded feelings. Don't wait to feel better about yourself. Act better. And then the feeling follows. That's the notch up. That's the notch forward. That's the better way to live. Now let's be clear about something. Taking it up a notch is not about frenzy. It is not about becoming performative, obsessive, or exhausting to yourself or to others. It is about wisely elevating yourself better, not crazier, sharper, not harsher, more intentional, more purposeful, not more frantic. And this matters. Taking it up a notch is not about becoming someone else. It's about expressing a better version of who you already could be. It's about expressing a better version of who you truly want to be. And maybe you're afraid you never will be. So here's the rhythm I want you to hear. Take your listening up a notch. Take your standards up a notch. Take your weekend up a notch. Take your meal choices up a notch. Take your honesty up a notch. Take your effort up a notch. Take your self-respect up a notch. Take your relationships up a notch. You don't need a reinvention. You need an elevation. A notch is a manageable rise in quality. And when you apply that across your life, things change faster than you think. And you'll say, I can't believe how easy it ultimately was. So don't ask, where do I need my life to change so dramatically? What do I need to do to blow up this life and start over again? You don't need that. You're right where you need to be right now. You just need to take it up a notch in your communication, in your relationships, in your planning, in your health, at work, in your standards, in your follow-through. Because life often changes not when we become unrecognizable, but when we stop underplaying what we are capable of. Now here's the closing thought I want you to sit with. Well, I don't want you to sit with it. I want you to take action with it. You may be the only one notch away from a much better life. Not ten, just one. So find it and take it, and then get some momentum going for yourself. Remember, mindset, focus, effective action, habits, perpetual momentum. It's yours for the taking. Go out and create it. Listen to the fun song, By Brazen Candor, Uber on Over, and have a great week.