4% BETTER
What 4% Better Means to Me
I have been called an all-or-nothing person. A perfectionist. Someone who pushes herself too far.
Fair.
I have also been told, “No one thinks quite like you.” I’m pretty sure that is the polite way of saying I think too much.
The problem with all-or-nothing thinking is that when you cannot do everything, it becomes very easy to do nothing. If the change does not feel big enough, dramatic enough, or perfect enough, we convince ourselves that it does not count.
That is where 4% Better comes in.
What does 4% Better mean?
4% Better is my personal philosophy for choosing one small, realistic step from where you are today.
Four percent is not a number you need to calculate. It is not a score, a daily requirement, or a promise that every day will be better than the day before.
It means asking:
“What is one honest thing I can do from where I am today?”
This is my practical philosophy, not a scientifically proven threshold.
THE STORY BEHIND THE NUMBER
Why four?
Four has followed me throughout my life.
In high school, volleyball became one of my first lessons in what it means to keep working when the place you want is not immediately yours.
I did not initially make the team. Another girl and I were offered positions as “working managers.” We practiced with the team, suited up for every match, and had to earn any playing time through effort and dedication.
I learned that contributing was about more than whether my feet were on the court. Paying attention, cheering, encouraging, and bringing energy from the bench mattered, too.
My jersey number was 28.
By the end of that first season, I finally got into a game. It felt like I had won the lottery.
I kept working. By my sophomore year, I made the school team. I became a captain, played all the way around, and eventually earned all-conference honorable mention.
When jersey numbers only went up to 14, number 28 was no longer an option.
Being the math person I am, I took the eight in 28, divided it by two, and landed on four.
More than 25 years later, the girls I played with still remember me as number four.
Four became more than a jersey number. It represented the work between being told I had not made the team and eventually becoming a captain.
It actually began with 2%
My original philosophy was 2% Better.
When I found myself returning to the work—trying again, rebuilding again, and applying what I had already learned—I realized I did not need to start completely over.
I needed to take what I had learned the first time and do it another 2% better.
Two plus two became four.
That is not a scientific formula. It is a personal reminder that progress can happen in layers.
We learn something, practice it, struggle with it, return to it, and build from there.
“We are not always starting over.”
“Sometimes we are starting deeper.”
What does 4% Better actually look like?
People often stop at three.
Three breaths. Three things picked up. Three more steps.
For me, four means taking one more breath. Picking up one more thing. Walking one more car length. Giving myself one more opportunity before deciding that I cannot do it.
It is small enough to feel possible, but meaningful enough to create movement.
One more car length
After having my back fused, recovery became one of the clearest examples of 4% Better in my life.
I was a business owner who only got paid when someone was physically on my treatment table. I was told I might be able to return to work in two weeks, but my body had other plans.
At the time, I weighed 284 pounds.
When I walked, my goal was not immediately to walk a mile. Sometimes it was to reach the next crack in the road. Sometimes it was one more car length.
One car length became part of the street. Part of the street became the block. The block eventually became a mile.
The mile mattered—but so did the first car length.
Without that first small choice, there would have been no mile.
REAL LIFE
What 4% Better looks like on difficult days
Four percent does not always look impressive from the outside.
- Wiping down one sink when the whole bathroom feels overwhelming.
- Picking up four things instead of trying to clean the entire house.
- Drinking water with a meal.
- Leaving food on the plate instead of eating it simply because I was raised in the “clean your plate” club.
- Asking for help.
- Choosing rest without turning it into evidence that I have failed.
What happens when it doesn’t work?
Not every small change becomes a lasting habit. Not every attempt produces the result we hoped for.
That does not automatically make it a failure.
It gives us something to notice.
- What helped?
- What got in the way?
- Was the choice realistic?
- Did it fit my actual life, or only the life I thought I should be living?
This is where 4% Better connects to the Ripple Method.
We build awareness around what is happening. We name the resistance. We replace judgment with curiosity. We reframe what progress can look like. We choose one manageable micro-choice. Then we take ownership of what we learned and decide what comes next.
You are not required to overhaul your life
I have lost weight, regained some, rebuilt routines, abandoned routines, recovered from surgery, raised children, run a business, and had days when I felt completely in control followed by days when “screw it” felt like the only thought available.
I am still a woman in progress.
That is why I do not believe people need another person telling them to change everything.
Most of us already know many of the things we “should” be doing.
What we often need is a realistic place to begin.
One breath.
One boundary.
One glass of water.
One car length.
One honest choice.
Questions about 4% Better
Is 4% a scientific measurement?
No. 4% Better is Chantelle’s personal philosophy, not a scientifically proven threshold or a percentage you need to calculate. It is a reminder to choose one small, realistic next step from where you are today.
Do I need to improve every day?
No. Some days 4% Better may mean doing one more thing. Other days it may mean doing less, asking for help, resting, or noticing what did not work and learning from it.
How does 4% Better connect to the Ripple Method?
The Ripple Method helps you explore what is happening in everyday life, notice resistance, get curious, reframe what progress can look like, choose a manageable micro-choice, and decide what comes next. 4% Better is one way of thinking about that next realistic step.
Where can I use 4% Better?
Anywhere a smaller, more realistic choice can help you move forward. That might include movement, nutrition, skincare, routines, boundaries, rest, or another part of everyday life.
Find your place to begin.
You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what needs to change. Start with what life looks like right now, and we can explore what needs attention together.