Self-improvement is a journey most of us find ourselves on at one time or another, but occasionally we can find ourselves struggling. There are all kinds of self-improvement tips bobbing around – some are rather obvious and some are not so well-known. Here are 18 suggestions for self-improvement. Give them a try!
1. Set your self-improvement goals
You should always be looking ahead in your life if you want to be successful in your personal growth. If you aren’t looking to the future, you become complacent with your current situation and you will not improve or enjoy the benefits of self-improvement.
2. Become highly disciplined
If you want to be a high achiever in life, you must become extremely disciplined to experience success. If you are usually lazy and can’t produce willpower, you are headed for an average life.
3. Think positively
When you think positively you bring out the very best of yourself. It will reduce the negative self-talk that we sometimes find floating around in our minds. Positive thoughts, let you see the bright side of life. You will find negative emotions like sadness fill much less of your day.
4. Exercise for self-improvement
Making sure you exercise daily does more than make you fit. It is an excellent way to de-stress and feel good about yourself – increasing self-esteem.
5. Show gratitude
You should show gratitude every time something good happens in your life. Doing this guarantees that you will experience even more good things. Gratitude is an amazing gift that you have right at your fingertips. Consider keeping a gratitude journal and spend a few minutes each day scribbling down what you are thankful for. Every morning and at the end of every day give at least one thing that you are grateful for that day. You can express your gratitude verbally or you can produce a gratitude book where you write it down. End every day on a positive note. You can find out about four habits that help to create a grateful attitude here.
6. Create value
We tend to go through life putting very little value on anything. Once you begin to create genuine value, you will see that you start to improve yourself. When you do this, others appreciate you and you will be rewarded.
7. Meditate
Meditation is a powerful tool that helps you to clear your mind, boost your happiness and reduce your negative thoughts. It’s an essential part of improving your life. You can learn more about meditation for beginners here.
8. Learn more
Take the time to study a subject you are interested in for 15 to 30 minutes a day. This will increase your knowledge and boost your confidence. Read more books, watch more educational videos on YouTube or listen to informative podcasts. Whatever it is that helps you to learn, do it!
9. Take control of your thoughts
You need to manage your thoughts if you want to control your life. Make sure your thoughts aren’t disorganised. Organise and get rid of the harmful thoughts, replacing them with positive thoughts that can empower you. This is an important part of self-improvement.
10. Organise yourself
Take the time to plan your day so that you aren’t wasting time on activities that have no benefit and you can spend more time focusing on what’s important. Did you know that a tidy environment will also keep your mind clear? As a result, you will be more productive and you will also have more control over your life. Interestingly, this self-improvement tip is frequently neglected and yet it can have such an intense impact on you.
11. Fall in love with your passion
If you want to be happy, fall in love with what you are passionate about. Allow yourself to love, whether that’s something you are doing, such as working with at-risk children, or it’s falling in love with your soulmate. We only have so many years in this life and what could be more satisfying than spending some of that time doing something you are passionate about or with someone you love. Do what you love, be with who or what you love, live for your love. You will improve immensely and you will be happy.
12. Make someone else happy
Why not make it your goal to make someone happy every day. It can be something as little as a smile and asking someone how their day is going or complimenting them. You might do someone a favour or you might help someone with a project. What you will discover is that when you make someone else happy, you also become happier.
13. Step up and do your bit
Every day tragedy occurs and our emergency services are there to handle them. However, you can also do your bit. What about the dog that’s running down the road and about to get hit by a car or the child that’s been wiped out on their bike and is on the pavement crying. What about the elderly person that’s fallen or the friend that’s had too much to drink. Step up and do your part to help someone else, whether you know them or not.
14. Surround yourself with good people
Wherever you go, there are bound to be at least a few negative people. Avoid them whenever possible, because their negative attitude will drag you down. Instead, seek out those with a positive, upbeat attitude. Find people to hang out with that have a positive mindset and a love for life. Find those who show appreciation for what they have. Connecting with these kinds of people will have a positive impact on how you act and think. Having friends that love and respect you is powerful.
15. Develop a new self-improvement habit
Some ideas for new habits are things like exercising, reading a new book, getting up early each morning, learning how to meditate, quitting smoking, etc. The list is endless. A new habit should be something that’s going to improve you. Remember, it takes time for your new habit to feel natural, so be patient.
16. Take a self-improvement lesson from your friends
Your friends have amazing qualities that you can tap into and learn from. Each of your friends and family is going to have unique characteristics and if you are smart, you can learn a lot from them. Think about your good friends right now. What is just one quality each of them has that you would like to have? How can you learn this skill? Speak to them if you need to and ask them for their help.
17. Start a self-improvement journal
Creating a journal is an excellent way to become more self-aware. It’s a process of self-reflection. As you write, you are simplifying your thoughts and you will gain more insights into yourself. You can create a private journal for your eyes only or you can blog it. Personally, I like to create a bullet journal (also known as a BuJo).
18. Complete weekly self-improvement reviews
This is a great way to decide how you are doing and to know where you need to do better. A weekly review shows you where you’ve been and where you’re going. It shows your success and your failures and enables you to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are thus getting to closer to your goal of self-improvement. You can also incorporate this into your journal.
Kelly Winter is a self-care guru from Stockport, Cheshire. You can contact her here at www.theimperfectcactus.com, on Instagram (@TheImperfectCactus), Facebook (@TheImperfectCactus) or on Twitter (@ImperfectCactus). ‘The Guide to Boosting Self-Esteem‘ is Kelly’s debut self-help guide which is available on Amazon.
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