You are a wonderful person just as you are, but everyone is always trying to be better. This is good! Improving oneself raises the quality of life and sets goals to be achieved. However, sometimes you need help or inspiration. Don't worry: we can help you! Read this article to find out how you can improve yourself (and your life) by following some really simple steps!
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Change the way you think
Step 1. Break out of the norm
The first thing to do is to get out of the usual routine. Everyday life leaves us in a stagnant situation preventing us from changing. How to do it is up to you, but even small changes can help you embark on new things, so don't be afraid to start.
Step 2. Practice Positive Thinking
Having negative ideas about ourselves, our abilities and the world around us, can make us miss the opportunity to live experiences and opportunities. Stop asking too much of yourself and instead remember all your good qualities. Don't just look at the worst side of others and don't just focus on the negative aspects of life, but start focusing on the good things.
Step 3. Check your emotions
Don't allow negative feelings like sadness, anger, fear, or envy to ruin your life. Feeling these emotions is natural, but letting them guide your every action or initiative is unhealthy and alters the quality of your experiences. Train yourself to calm down and find the bright side of things.
Step 4. See the world from a different perspective
Sometimes we forget how many beautiful things we have. Look around you and realize that there are people who are worse off than you. Now look at your life and recognize the good things you have. Did you find many examples? Search again! Research how other people live, whether reading, watching TV shows or documentaries.
Method 2 of 4: Take action
Step 1. Bring creativity into your life
Being more imaginative and engaging in activities that involve the use of imagination can be a profoundly positive experience. It allows you to leave your contribution to the world, while at the same time changing the way you see things. Design, sculpt, write, dance, sing, sew your own clothes or find other creative outlets.
Step 2. Be a good person
Be nice, don't lie. Consider the feelings of others, be generous, forgive. Basically, behave like a good human being. It can be difficult at times, but this really is one of the most important things you can do - improve yourself and the world around you.
Maya Angelou once said: "I have found that among other advantages, the gift frees the soul of the giver."
Step 3. Practice a new hobby
Learn a new skill or cultivate a new passion. This will give you the urge to go out and do something, and make your life more interesting and complete. Engage in something you've always wanted to do, and you'll be happier and more satisfied than you thought you could be.
Step 4. Become an active person
Start with getting off the sofa! Break the sedentary lifestyle, even if you don't intend to go to gyms or anything else. Go for a walk with someone you love. Play with your children or younger siblings. Live a life that goes beyond your living room. If you feel up to the task, exercise! All of this is good for you and, in addition to improving yourself as a person, enriches the quality of your life.
Step 5. Volunteer when you can
Helping others helps you change your perspective, makes you more respectful, increases your zest for life, gives you a sense of fulfillment, and (of course) makes a positive contribution to the lives of people who really need it. You can volunteer for any cause you like, both locally and abroad. There are a lot of possibilities.
- You can volunteer at homeless or youth centers and make a great contribution, with a huge impact on the future and on society.
- Habitat for Humanity is another good way to volunteer, but you can find many other similar associations.
- If you have specific skills, put them to use with specific volunteer activities.
Step 6. Travel to gain experience
This is a way to profoundly change, as when you travel you experience the different ways people live. If you can only travel in your own country, that's fine, but make sure you experience a very different lifestyle than you are used to. If you can, travel abroad, especially in a country where your language is not spoken.
Step 7. Grow your culture
Another great way to improve yourself is to improve your education. Now, that doesn't mean you have to go back to school. On the internet you can find an infinite number of sites where you can learn and improve your training for free. You can acquire a skill, such as computer programming or speak another language, or you can increase your knowledge on broader topics, such as politics or education.
- With Coursera you can take entire university courses for free!
- You can take mini lessons to open your mind by watching TEDTalks!
- WikiHow offers you articles of all kinds to train you on many topics. You can also share your knowledge by writing or improving an article on a topic you are well versed in!
Method 3 of 4: Set Goals
Step 1. Identify the qualities you admire
Find those qualities you love in others and would like to acquire. If you can't find any at the moment, think about the people you'd like to be like and see what you like about them. Are kind? Ambitious? Do they work hard? These are the qualities you should look for.
Step 2. Recognize your flaws
Think about the things you don't like about yourself. Don't focus on things like weight, because your body is really just a container and doesn't represent your true self. Issues such as weight should only be addressed after changing your attitude towards others, your work ethic, and your skills.
Step 3. Decide what you want to change
Think about what you really want to improve in yourself. It is true what they say: "the first step to solving a problem is to admit that you have one". Try to understand what is a problem for you, so that you set a challenging and motivating goal. Doing so will change your lifestyle.
Step 4. Find stimuli
Talk to people you trust, your partner, friends and family. Tell them what you want to change about your life and why. They may have some good ideas to help you, as well as a clearer and more objective view of your qualities.
Step 5. Start slowly, act calmly
Start with small goals. Don't start with a drastic decision like "quit smoking". Instead, try "smoke less". Splitting big goals into small projects will make them achievable and keep motivation high.
Step 6. Set a time limit
Organize these goals according to a priority scale. This analysis can really change the commitment you put into improving yourself. If you don't set a deadline for the change, the goal becomes unreal and intangible and more difficult to achieve.
Step 7. Move on to practice
It starts! It is not enough to set goals, you have to act!
Method 4 of 4: Breaking the Habits
Step 1. Want change
As we said, you must really want to change your life, otherwise you will never be able to. You can pretend to be better one way or another for a while, but it won't last long if you don't really put in the effort. Make the changes you want for yourself, and not because someone else dictates it to you. This is the only way to truly improve.
Step 2. Create realistic expectations
Don't think that being different will instantly make your life better and that everything will be perfect. That's not how it works. Moreover, the change will not be easy. If you set reasonable expectations, it will be much easier to cope with life's challenges.
Step 3. Recognize the triggers
Identify the things that lead you into behaviors you don't like and want to change. Do you eat when you are stressed? Do you lash out at your loved ones when you are angry? Find the triggers to find better ways of dealing with problems.
Step 4. Set limits
Try to stop yourself from doing the things you don't like. If you want to spend less time on the internet, sign up for a connection agreement that allows for slower or less data traffic, or access the internet only from your phone but not from your computer. Putting limits will prevent you from automatically falling into old habits, you will have to make a conscious effort to do the wrong action and you will not be able to fall back by chance.
Step 5. Find replacements
Look for alternatives to those things you are trying to avoid. The activities that were listed in the first section can help with this, but you can also use some simpler tricks. If you tend to get very angry, try mentally singing a song. This works even better if it's a song that makes you laugh.
Step 6. Reward yourself
Give yourself rewards to motivate yourself. Give yourself small rewards, enough to trigger positive feelings. You don't have to become addicted to rewards, just feel good about all the effort you are putting into your effort.
Step 7. Give yourself time
Be patient! Change takes time. It doesn't all happen overnight, and if you think otherwise, you will be very disappointed. Learn to wait, keep trying, and you will reach the finish line!
