PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
A passionate man enjoying his self-improvement routine Photo/Yogendra Singh
Summary
When it
comes to self-improvement. It is always about you. You must know your needs. That
is where everything begins. Knowing your personal needs means knowing what you
lack. What to improve. And how to fix all things that you lack. The moment you
know what is missing. You identify a problem. That is an important step. Knowing
that there is a problem. This means that your next steps focus on finding
solutions to the problem. To that end, my five best self-improvement principles
are;
1. Decide
2. Commit
3. Prioritize
4. Invest
5. Get better
Decide
Decide
that you want self-improvement. Self-improvement is about personal decisions. It
is about you assessing your life. Looking around and noticing areas that need
improvement. You already have a life. What you need is how to nourish that
life. Add flavors that make it more exciting and appealing than it is now. That
is where self-improvement comes into play. The desire to introduce new things
to your life. In order to make your life more meaningful. For that to happen,
and even become sustainable. You must decide. You must make an individual
decision. To improve a certain area of your life. An area, which you think needs
improvement. Self-improvement covers a number of things ranging from personal
to professional. Personal covers your character, discipline, eating habits,
interactions with other people, attitude, personality, and your overall outlook
on events taking place in life.
Professional
covers career, conduct as a professional, ethics, integrity, and communication habits
and skills. There is more to both professional and personal elements. We interpret
things differently. And that means that what you see as a problem. Might not be
a problem to another person. That is why self-improvement is a personalized
decision. Covering things that you find as problems. Or pain points. When you
scale down to a particular area that you would like to improve. You make a
decision as, you the individual. You admit to yourself that you the individual has
a problem. And that problem needs a solution. And your solution is to carry out
some form of self-improvement to become better. The decision to settle for
self-improvement, is the most important decision in your improvement journey.
When you
decide that you have an issue, which needs attention. You summon your energy in
the most empowering manner. It means you have called attention. And everything
in your body and mind is listening. Deciding is the hardest part. However, once
the decision has been made. And you have thought about the process. Self-improvement
journey becomes more practical. You are ready for the next step. The step of
stepping forward and getting to work. If, you identified your problem as idling.
And you have identified impacts of idling in your life. Your next step is to
root out the mediocrity that idling has brought in your life. Your
self-improvement now has a focus. The objective is to become less mediocre and
more resourceful. You want your mind to be filled with more meaningful
thoughts.
A happy young woman enjoying nature. Photo/Andrea Piacquadio
Commit
Now that
you know the problem and you have attached a goal to the problem. It is time to
commit. Commit to carrying out the right self-improvement activity. In this
case, the right self-improvement activities include but not limited to reading,
reducing television hours, choosing programs that are more information-based
than just entertainment, and filling up empty time with resourceful activities.
You have to commit to these activities. To commit means to deliberately find
time to carry out these activities. Find time to identify books that you enjoy
reading. Identify people that you can learn from. Programs that have what you
want. And activities to fill up your free time. For example, if you find
yourself with two free hours after work. Plan for these two hours. Find activities
that you can do within these two hours before dinner or bed time.
Some of
the activities you can fill up on that free time include exercise, volunteering
in your community, or joining a sport you like. You can exercise to increase
your weekly active time. Health experts recommend that a normal person should
have at least, 150 minutes of active time. Active time means 150 minutes where
you have walked, ran, cycled or engaged in some form of active activity. An activity,
which requires you to make an effort for it to happen such as, walking. You can
decide to walk for 30 minutes every day after work. If, you do that for five
days, you will achieve the active minutes. This simple activity will go a long
way in improving your health. Further, you will learn a lot of things while out
there exercising.
Committing
to do the right self-improvement will change your life. When you implement the
activities needed to improve. Your life will not be the same again. You and
your health will benefit. You will not be an idler no more. You will not be a
mediocre anymore. You will learn new things that would result in improvement. You
could even discover a new hobby while doing self-improvement. In the past, you
might have not considered yourself an athlete. However, your decision to
improve an area in your life might surprise you. You might end up loving a
sport or even studying nature as you walk. Backing up your decision with
commitment will result in an actual improvement. The activities that you will
implement will transform you. You will become a better version of yourself.
An excited couple enjoying the beach. Photo/Anastasiya Lobanovskaya
Prioritize
Prioritize
self-improvement. You already made a
decision. You followed the decision with a goal. And committed to improving. Now
prioritize your self-improvement. Make it part of your routine. Be deliberate
about it. Ensure that all the things that need to be done are done. If, it is
walking 30 minutes every day. Ensure that you walk for 30 minutes. If, it is
reading one chapter of a book every day. Ensure that a chapter is read every
day. Make self-improvement your priority. And eliminate all types of
temptations that might hinder your progress. The mere fact that you are doing
some things for the first time means that you could also fail. You could
struggle during your first few days or months. Struggling with new practices
and habits is normal. But don’t use that as an excuse. Commit to your
self-improvement.
This is
why self-improvement is about you. And you must know your needs. During the
brainstorming period. You need to be realistic. You must know beforehand that
it is not going to be easy. That the journey will not be straight-forward. You need
to know that you will struggle. And even perhaps, think of quitting. However,
what will sustain you in the journey is your goal. The reason you need this
self-improvement will keep you in the journey. If, improving yourself is so
important. You will learn how to make progress. You will stop making excuses. You
will stop playing around. Because you know what is at stake. If, you don’t work
hard to purge mediocrity in your life. You will end up being, just another
person. A person that does not know what is at stake. Someone that is, just
there.
You cannot
accept to live your whole life as, someone who is just there. You have purpose.
And you can only live that purpose by fighting for it. Most people are not born
knowing what they need. Most people work to discover their purposes. Only a
small percentage of gifted people know what they want. So while carrying out
your self-improvement activities. And reality hits you hard. Don’t quit. Keep doing
the exercise. If, yesterday was overwhelming. Try doing the activity today. Don’t
allow the feelings of yesterday stand in the way. Don’t entertain feelings of
defeat. Fight for what you want. Improve the area that you intended to improve.
Prioritize every activity and make it your routine. You will master it the more
you practice. The more you walk, the more the 30 minutes will stick in your
mind.
Invest
Invest
in your self-improvement. Create a budget for the materials that are needed to
make you better. The books you need to read. The programs you need to watch. The
people you would like to learn from. And all the changes that you will need to
make. Invest in all these things. Plan for them. Incorporate them in your
monthly budget. To arrive at the desired goals in your self-improvement
journey. You will have to make some sacrifices. The sacrifices will come in
different forms. Money, friends, or even relocation. Be ready to invest in your
self-improvement. The cost could be high. Everything could appear expensive. However,
focus on the bigger picture. Think about how you will feel when you achieve
your self-improvement goal. When all that weight is gone. When you are very
resourceful. Think of the people who will benefit from your knowledge.
Go for
the ultimate price. Find the money to buy the books. Invest in your
self-improvement. The investment could be either money or time. Find them. Find
the time to do activities. Create time to make yourself available. Ensure that
nothing stands in the way of the objective. And since, you made a personal decision.
And admitted that you needed to improve. You are going to stick with the
decision. You will do everything that is needed to be done. Nothing will stand
in the way. You will ensure that nothing prevents you from your self-improvement.
You will work for your self-improvement. You will ensure that you are no longer
a mediocre. You will ensure that you are not just another person. You will
fight to make a mark in your life. Your seriousness will be determined by how
far you are willing to go to improve yourself.
Get Better
Achieve
the self-improvement goal. Become resourceful. Stop being idle. Use your time
well. Be deliberate about things in your life. Take control of your life. Be in
charge. Make the right decisions. Engage in activities that benefit you. Get better.
Carry out your desired self-improvement. Ensure that you become a better
version of yourself. Be deliberate about it. Don’t let excuses prevent you from
making progress. Don’t allow laziness to hold you back. Don’t entertain
indecisiveness. Make difficult decisions. Go for self-improvement if, that is
what you want. This is your personal quest. And you are in charge. Push yourself.
Develop the needed discipline. Create time. Exercise. Volunteer. Become the new
you. Improve that area that needs improvement. You must be absolute about it. There
is no going back.
A decision
has been made. And you will not fail yourself. You are moving forward with all self-improvement
plans. It does not matter whether the new changes will be hard or easy. You will
ensure that you improve. You will commit to your self-improvement. You will
prioritize your self-improvement. You will get it done. You will invest in it
whether you have money or not. You will find time. You will do the difficult
activities. You will endure when things get tough along the way. You will stick
with the goal. You will follow the routine as much as, it takes. You will carry
out all the necessary steps until you achieve your goal. There is no room for
laziness. These five self-improvement principles might look simple at surface
level. However, they are not as simple as you think. You will put in the work
if, you have to improve anything in your life.
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