Like anything in life there is always going to be a good and a bad side, and in this article, I am going to look at some self improvement tips and also how we always manage to sabotage them over and over again.
Think of self improvement like a beautiful rose. It has a wonderful fragrance, however, they also have thorns to prick at you.
Why Is Self Improvement Difficult?
Understand that there are no magic pills or no self improvement tips that magically work for everyone. This is because self improvement is a process which takes time, effort, and planning. It can’t be as simple as black and white, unfortunately.
We are only human and we are creatures that have evolved from an early man and woman that had to fight to survive. Therefore, we learn best from pain, unfortunately.
Think back to when you were a child, first learning how to ride a bike. Your parents likely did all they could to prepare you for that first ride. They showed you how to balance the bike, pedal, and control the direction of the bike. However, despite their best attempts at keeping you balanced, you probably fell a few times before you got the hang of balancing and actually riding on your own.
Luckily pain doesn’t have to be all bad, or always physically sore, as long as we learn from it and as long as it’s not willfully inflicted on us by others.
As you move through your plan for self improvement, expect to fall down, and this will enable to you get back up on top of things stronger for it.
Bear in mind, that like the child learning how to ride a bike with training wheels, the point of growth in self-improvement doesn’t occur when the goal is reached. It actually occurs when we learn.
A child who is learning to ride her bike without training wheels is probably going to fall off umpteen times. Regardless, the entire experience is teachable, and learning moments are passed down from one generation to the next. For those who teach themselves such things, the experience is added to, but more difficult.
We tend to see our goals as just beyond our reach. When we stumble while reaching for them, it’s important to remember that the stumble or trip-up is a learning moment or curve and not a failure. The dark side and toxicity comes when we throw in the towel when we stumble instead of getting back up to try again.
Let’s take a look at new years resolutions for instance.
For most people, these are forgotten or given up before February even rolls around.
We all start full of enthusiasm but end up disappointed in ourselves as our enthusiasm fades or you fail to end up where you want to be.
While the concept of self improvement can turn into something of a rabbit hole for us, it can also be a powerful tool.
Because we are human we naturally feel that we need to improve. This may come from some evolutionary survival tool that we have carried with us from ancient men and woman, and while it is a useful tool to bare, it can become toxic for those of us who see this need for improvement as a flaw.
If we look at the bike analogy again, imagine you are the child approaching the bike. You are ready to learn how to ride without training wheels. You are excited, but when you fall you do feel a twinge of discouragement.
It’s important to remember that you didn’t approach that bike with the physical practical knowledge of how to balance it. You likely knew how to operate it mechanically thanks to the safety of the training wheels. But just because you could still improve on this ability to ride without training wheels doesn’t mean you are fundamentally flawed. It just means that you have room to grow and have something to learn. You have a way and a need to improve.
Self Improvement Tips
Here is a plan to begin on your self improvement in a positive way.
Step One:
Start Today
Why not do something about your personal development plan today.
Because it is going to take some time to achieve a lasting change, the best time to start is now. Don’t become a procrastination pro as you can always build on what you do today tomorrow again. As Abraham Lincoln said:
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
Step Two:
Take Baby Steps
To make a plan you need to take baby steps towards your goal. Try taking a large goal and break it down into small components. As you take on these bite-sized steps, make sure to keep the end result in sight.
Step Three:
Learn From Others Mistakes
You can learn a lot from the successes and failures of others.
Ones own experiences are always a harsh teacher so do try to learn from the mistakes of others. If you can find a mentor or coach your life will be made easier, and you will be accountable to somebody which makes you more likely to be a success.
This is one of the most important self improvement tips I can give you.
You can also learn from reading books such as these below:
Reading self improvement books each and every day can make the world of difference to your progress and your mindset.
Set aside sometime in the morning, or just before bed to enrich yourself with books and knowledge.
Step 4:
Embrace Change
Because the world is changing all the time, even if you do nothing you will change by default as the world turns. There is no escape from this. If people and ideas didn’t change we would all still be living in the stone age.
Step 5:
Be Accountable For Your Own Success
You and you alone are responsible for your own progress. It is your job and responsibility to initiate and actually follow through on the steps involved in your own personal development.
If you don’t bother, nobody else will either and you will be the one to blame for your failures.
Step 6:
Be Thankful And Grateful
Focus on what you have achieved in life and not on what you haven’t.
Think of how lucky you are and how much you have and how lucky you are. Be thankful for your health, as many don’t have this luxury.
Think about how others benefit from what you do. If you improve yourself, those benefits will increase by tenfold. Your personal development should not only be for yourself, but for others too.
Step 7:
Be Intentional
Remember that whatever you intend actually becomes your reality. Find your true intention before you resolve to do something, and make sure you really want what you say or think you want.
If your goal and what you want aren’t aligned, you will continually find excuses to prevent you from moving forward.
Step 8:
Challenge Yourself Continuously
Your goals need to be just out of your reach, but not too far out of reach or you will set yourself up for failure.
If you do what is too easy, you deny yourself the satisfaction of achieving something big. Find the middle ground and stretch it a little to improve your personal development.
Step 9:
Follow Your Passion
Do things you like to do and pick people to help you that you love being around.
Make sure you are following your heart. The aim is to become a master in the art of living so that people won’t be able to tell if you are working or playing because you are so happy.
Step 10:
Never Give Up
Even though life has ups and downs, you need to keep going through the downs. Life won’t always be easy and you may need to re-evaluate your plans if you find you aren’t keeping up.
Your personal development goal needs to be achievable and balanced. Find your rhythm and go with the flow.
With personal development, you will always be working on bettering yourself, as you can go on learning and changing right throughout your life.
In conclusion to these self improvement tips, you need to avoid being too self-critical. Remember that you are always going to be your own worst critic.
The process of self-improvement needs you to do an honest assessment of yourself, not a self-judgment session, and there is a huge difference between the two.
If you have any other self improvement tips to add, please feel free to comment below.
Procrastination is the thief of time, yes.
Many things are easier said than done and to stop procrastinating is one of them, well for me, it is. However, we need to start somewhere, don’t’ we?
Time to be disciplined. I really like the step-by-step self-improvement tips you shared. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a very good book I heard of but have not got my hands on it. Thanks for bringing this up.
Don’t worry Sharon, you are not alone. We all have our bouts of procrastination, and we just need to push through them.
An interesting post, some good ideas in your suggested steps, must confess of them all find that change is the most difficult as you get older, we get so set in our ways that we find itn difficult to change, must confess that I do try, when I think that it is needed.
Liked the bike analogy, many of the steps are so important in continuing our personal development.
Stuart
Hi Stuart, thanks for taking the time to comment. I think that like anything we must take baby steps and go one step at a time until it becomes a habit, then look at changing something else. This is the only way to make lasting changes in your life.