Self-improvement is a subject I’m very interested in, but it is also by nature a very abstract concept and rather vague. For one, improvement when it comes to things like confidence and success are matters that are hard to measure and particularly as they are so subjective, and at the same time it’s such a broad subject that it’s hard to know where to begin. Surely we are always gaining knowledge and always growing as people, so in that regard we’re always improving right?
If you really want to see results though you need to have much more concrete goals and you need to define what self-improvement means to you. This then will allow you to create a ‘program’ to help you accomplish these goals and you will then have a much more measurable and definable idea of how you are progressing. Too many people take up a vague interest in ‘improving themselves’ and then spend all their time reading books and articles but never actually changing. They believe they’re putting in effort and improving themselves because they’re spending a lot of time ‘immersed’ in the subject of self-development, but if there are no measurable results then what have they really accomplished?
To help you get on your way and improve yourself in some real ways that will help you to grow as a person and get more out of life, here are some suggestions for ways you can improve yourself today.
Start a New Exercise Program
One of the most obvious ways to improve yourself is to improve your health and fitness, and if you can lose fat while at the same time developing more muscle firmness and definition then this will help you to look better and to perform better. Again though make sure you narrow this down too if you want to really see the benefits – and that means deciding how often you are going to work out, the kind of exercise you are going to do and how you are going to fit it in around your life.
Learn a Language
Learning a language is something that will make you more attractive to the opposite sex, that will provide you with a fantastic form of brain training (much better than Luminosity or anything like that) and make you a more rounded and interesting individual. This is a great challenge and a great target.
Quit a Bad Habit
We all have bad habits, in fact if I wrote all mine down it would probably be longer than this entire article. Pick one of your most pressing bad habits then, but one that you think you have a chance of beating, and then focus on eliminating it.
Do Something Completely Out of Your Comfort Zone
You know where your limitations are, and you know where you feel uncomfortable. Whether this is public speaking, facing heights, or being intimate with someone it’s probably an area you need to work on. Organize an event or some classes then that will take you right out of your comfort zone and test you as a result – whether it’s signing up to a public speaking course or going sky diving. We grow most when we’re pushed like this. If you are struggling to meet members of the opposite sex then even just making sure to speak to five women/men you don’t know a week can be a fantastic way to encourage very positive growth.
Face Your Demons
We all have demons and issues that hold us back or that affect our personality and behaviour in negative ways. This might mean you’re still not over a breakup but haven’t faced the emotions yet, or it might mean that you’re unconfident in some way. Sit down and think hard about what it is that haunts you, and then try speaking to someone about it, letting it out, or getting counselling to help you.
Improve Your Look
This one’s fun – if you want to feel more successful in a short amount of time then giving your appearance an overhaul is a great way to increase confidence while changing the way people look at you. The secret to success here is to be bold and to again get out of your comfort zone – ask a close friend to help you pick out things you wouldn’t normally wear, and go for a drastic new haircut. The more different your new look is, the more it will invigorate you and the more others will comment. Meanwhile come up with a new beauty regime for yourself which can include things like exfoliating, tanning and teeth whitening.
Start a Diary
Having a diary or journal is a great way to focus your thoughts and to force yourself to review your day’s events and look for correlations. This doesn’t have to be a daily thing if you’re pushed for time, even writing an entry once a week can be enough to make you address the things that have happened to you in that time.
Learn a New Skill
We mentioned learning a new language, but learning any new skill will add more strings to your bow. Great new skills include things like learning to play an instrument, learning to juggle, learning to program, learning to knit or learning car mechanics. If you’ve tried and failed in the past then take up a class.
Begin an Entrepreneurial Pursuit
There are few things more challenging and rewarding than setting up your own business, and not only will you learn from that experience, but if you’re successful you’ll find this gives you more financial independence and freedom too.
Read More
Reading is a fantastic way to improve your language skills and vocabulary, but also to learn more about the world whether it’s fiction or the morning’s paper. I made a commitment to seek out the news in one form or another every morning and since doing that I have been much more up-to-date with current affairs and I’ve stopped feeling embarrassed in conversations because I don’t know what everyone’s talking about.
Free Up More Time
If you struggle to take up new self-improvement programs then it may be that you don’t have time for them. Change this by identifying a way that you could give yourself more time each day and then making that a reality. This could mean waking up an hour earlier, or it could mean going to the gym on your lunch break.