Life is short. Too short. Once that reality hits, you realize that you are not as happy as you would like. If there are no do-overs, living the best life is the only chance at happiness anyone has.
Life is unfair. It seems like some people have it all while others have nothing. Wealth, good jobs, great relationships, happy families, abilities, etc. What if I told you that you could be happy too? Regardless of where you are in your life, a little self-betterment every day will make all the difference.
A desire to be better is not enough on its own. As you know well by now, anything worthwhile in life takes effort. Every process requires inputs to give outputs. The inputs in this process are readily available. Time, dedication, and patience. The only question that remains is how willing you are to give to receive.
In this guide, you will find a clear-cut road to self-betterment. This is not a promise of an easy journey. However, this guide will hold your hand as you work through the crucial aspects of your life.
Step 1: Start Now
We have all been there. “I’ll start working on myself tomorrow.” “Maybe next Monday.” No matter how further you push it, the decision remains yours to make. Human tends to perceive some things such as this as mountains. The feeling and presence of the mountain are so overwhelming it threatens to crush you. So you do what humans do, avoid it.
At this step, the biggest task is to level the mountain. Your mind is your biggest weapon that you can use against yourself or fight your battles. The mind created the obstacle, and only the mind can remove it.
Analyze your situation. Divide your goal into small bit sizes. For example, Going from A to Z seems undoable. However, going from A to B is a piece of cake.
Once your mind declares your obstacles small or non-existent, nothing else can stop you from self-betterment now.
Step 2: Where to Begin
A human is a problem-solving creature. Without a problem, there is no need for a solution. It is okay to not know where to start. Knowing that you are lost is the first step to finding yourself.
Some people do not know that they are lost. To start this journey create a checklist. Note down all the things you think make a better person. Compare that to the person you are today. This exercise will reveal to you where you are and how far you need to go.
In the self-development process, honesty is your closest ally. Self-bias is a trait most people possess. Their beliefs, opinions, and way of life is the absolute truth. However, to get results, drop self-bias. Recognize your imperfections.
Learn who you are. Your wants and needs all make you. You will identify the parts that make you better. These, you will retain. You will also identify those that prevent you from personal development. These parts you will lose.
Step 3: Watch What you take in
What goes in comes out in one way or another. What kind of media do you consume? Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate. Greed, lust, you get the point. Negative media stirs up negativity in you.
You will not realize this until you start getting those anger outbursts you did not have before.
At this step, improve yourself by admitting that the negativity you consume becomes part of you. Becoming conscious of the messages you pick from media should influence you to make some changes. Avoid any message that you would hate to see reflected in you.
Watch the food you consume. Good food enhances the health of the body and mind. Nutrition is the fuel that sustains the machine that is the human body. Without enough fuel, your machine will underperform. Remember too much of everything is poisonous.
Step 4: Watch What Comes Out of You
From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Once you control what you think, anything you say will be under your control.
Sometimes you wonder why you say the things you say. You cringe when you recall your conversations. Other times, you want the earth to swallow you when you realize that you can’t take back what you said.
A growth mindset comes from a recognition of the power of the mind. Self-betterment stems from an ability to control your thoughts.
Once your thoughts are yours to drive, self-growth is yours to have. The life of a person and the circumstances he or she faces all depend on one’s thoughts. Thoughts drive actions that dictate circumstances.
Step 5: Save Yourself
Of all self-growth ideas, being your savior is my favorite. You realize that you are capable of making yourself happy. Only you can give yourself what you want. To save yourself, you gotta believe that you can. Have faith in your ability.
Change your perception of yourself. While you admit that you feel a little lost or a little weak at the moment, trust that you are getting better. Think of yourself as a warrior. A person of strength you are. Your strength will fight for you.
Recognize the little progress you are making towards self-improvement. Progress motivates you to stay the course for Self-betterment. Gather your strength and keeping going. You are the superhero of your story.
Step 6: Learn and Learn
A wise person once told the story of a boy and a sieve. The story goes that a father gave his son a sieve to collect water from the river. The boy spent the whole day at the river because the sieve could not collect water. When evening came, the sorrowful boy returned home. His father calmly asked him why he had no water. He said that the sieve only let the water pass through. The father asked about the state of the sieve. It was sparkly clean.
The story is told to reflect the difference reading books makes in one’s life. If you have read a hundred books, there is a chance you will not remember what half the books said. Then comes the question. What’s the point of reading if you will not remember at the end of the day?
Just like the sieve does not retain the contents of water, you will likely not retain the contents of what you read. However, at the end of the day, your mind will be as sparkly as the sieve.
Learning is a mental detox. It cleanses you, making you a whole different person. A desire to learn is a sure step towards self-betterment.
Step 7: Care for Your Health
Desire to improve all areas of your life. Self-betterment includes growing spiritually, physically, and mentally. As we discussed earlier, reading is the best food for your mind, and becoming a master of your thoughts is the height of mental health.
To grow spiritually is concerning yourself with matters of the spirit. Embracing spirituality provides peace and wholeness that cannot be found physically. It connects you to nature and creates a balance between all aspects that make you; the emotional, physical, and social aspects.
Self-betterment in the physical aspect involves nutrition and working out. Being physically healthy helps you focus on other crucial things.
Meditation, prayers, and exercise are three key self-help tools in the journey.
Step 8: Seek Financial Freedom
Financial freedom provides security. A wise person once said that money does not provide security. Only skills, knowledge, and experience can. Improvement of these three aspects will provide you with countless opportunities for financial freedom.
Start investing now. Paying your bills is not enough. Make your money work for you. Pay yourself a portion of your income. Employ that portion you set aside to bring you more income. Invest in stocks and treasuries.
Set aside an emergency fund. Accidents happen. You may lose your job unexpectedly. A car accident or natural disaster are some events that will require emergency cash. Self-betterment requires you to consider the inevitability of emergencies.
Live within your means. Wealth is not having too much. It is having more income than your needs. Lower your need and wants, and watch your wealth grow.
Step 9: Watch your Company
Birds of a feather flock together. Walk with five wise men, and you will be sixth. These sayings all preach that your friends make you. Keep the company of people you want to see in yourself. Cut out all those who threaten your goal for self-betterment.
Your friends are the family you chose for yourself. Let that family comprise of people you trust. In this journey, you should not be alone. We all need people who hold your hand, not those who put you down. Surround yourself with a support system. You will need it.
Enjoy your own company. You are your greatest teacher and greatest ally. Only you understand yourself better than anyone. Only you know your struggles and your journey. Spend time alone. It strengthens your bond with yourself, setting you up for success in your journey.
Step 10: Give Love
All of the above steps require self-love. It is only by loving yourself that you want to better yourself. Love yourself by finding a friend in you. Give yourself all the love you need. It is only by having an abundance of love that you can give it to others. The only person that can teach you to love others is you.
Share your time, your food, and other shareable things with others. Give to the needy. Giving creates space for more in your life. You do not have to be wealthy to give. It is said that what you give finds its way back, compressed, and running over. Let plentifulness find you by giving.
Give back to society. Volunteer your time to projects that benefit others. Donate money if you can.
Empathize with others. Realize that other people are on their journeys, just as you are. If you cannot give love, at least do not judge. Allow kindness and peace to find a home in you.
Step 11: Take risks
self-betterment is not without risks. To move from your current location to another is a risk. You have no idea of the challenges that lay ahead. Yet, you chose to keep moving forward.
Investing your money to attain financial freedom is another risk you will take. Taking up courses to improve your skills is a risk. It improves your chances of employment, but it is not a guarantee.
Calculated risks are a part of your journey. You have to give something to get something in return. It is how life works.
There is no growth with risking failure. Dare to try. When you fail, try again or change the tactic. Do not stay stagnant.
Step 12: Reconnect with Nature
To reach your destination, you need help from the universe. Ask for help in the way that you know how to. Pray, meditate, write down your requests. By asking from nature, you acknowledge that life is hard on your own. Better yourself by trusting the universe.
Trust and patience are the key things you need at this step. To be better is to manifest good things in your life. Allow nature to help through faith. Manifest all your desires in life through positive vibrations.
All things in nature vibrate at a certain frequency. Once you match that vibration through faith and trust, you will find your best self.
In conclusion, self-betterment is a doable process. While it takes time and patience, it pays off. How does your best self look like? That person you see is someone you can make. As a co-creator with the universe, you can mold your life into the likeness you favor.
All you need a desire to grow, a positive mind, and a single step in the right direction. A little help from the universe will also go a long way to help put things in place.
Something I have learned along the way is that sharing is caring. This guide helped me and will help you too.
