Self-improvement is something we often hear when thinking of today’s top-selling authors and internet personalities such as Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Marie Forleo, and Bob Proctor. Thanks to them, we’re more aware than ever that self-improvement is a continuous process and that we don’t stop learning even after graduating from college. Even so, many people will stop actively seeking to grow and develop themselves when they move over to the workforce.
However, the most successful of us never stop in our quest to learn more and be more. In this blog post, we share everything you need to know about self-improvement, why you need it, and 5 great tips on how you can continue to thrive in today’s world.
Self-Improvement Definition
The easiest way to define self-improvement is the act of improving yourself. Self-improvement pretty much explains itself — it refers to the improvement of your character and knowledge through your actions. In other words, it is the never-ending challenge to create a better version of ourselves in any way and all aspects of our life.
As humans, we’ve been hard-wired to keep wanting to become better — having more knowledge leads to more income, which in turn leads to better chances of survival. This is the reason why self-improvement is a direct way to better our lives.
Self-Improvement Meaning
Doing anything that makes you better or more knowledgeable is all part of self-improvement. A self-improvement routine can take the form of many things, including:
- Learning a new language
- Doing push-ups every night
- Volunteering at a homeless shelter
- Going back to college to finish your bachelors
- Learning to meditate
- And more
However, self-improvement and self-help are often used interchangeably — a synonym for self-improvement is self-reformation. By the 1640s, self-improvement got its meaning, known as “the act of making better.” A system for self-improvement was then developed by Emile Coue which had become popular around the 1920s and 1930s.
Why Should Someone be Interested in Self-Improvement in Life?
As humans, we usually look into things that we have the power to improve. Whether we’re looking to expand our business, or wanting to keep a more organized workspace, there is always something we can make better. Undertaking personal growth and self-improvement will help you develop the skills you need to make your plans possible.
To start with your business expansion, you need to have the skills and discipline needed to become a good leader. But before you get started, you’ll need to develop many other things that may not always be naturally present in people, so there will always be something that you can improve on.
Why is Self-Improvement Important?
Personal growth is a process that allows you to do two things:
- Understanding yourself
- Pushing yourself
Combining these two will help you reach your best self. It involves asking ourselves important questions, such as:
- What do you want out of your life?
- How can you improve at work?
- How can you start a successful business?
- Do you want a more loving partner?
Moreover, it means planning things to become the person you want to be and how you will reach that goal. This kind of development starts on a very personal level, so you will need to be honest with yourself. Once you start, it will seep into every part of your life, including your professional and financial development.
Self-Improvement Tips
Below are five great tips to get you started on your self-improvement journey. Don’t be afraid to use as many as possible — learning as much as you can is the whole point behind self-improvement.
Identify Your Purpose
While it might be easy to say that you want to move up the ladder in your workplace, you can’t create a lasting change inside you if you’re not even sure why you’re doing it. Before anything, have an honest conversation with yourself and ask what will bring you the happiness and fulfillment you need. Here are a few reasons why you might want to get better at your job:
- You need more money to pursue your passion
- You need more money to provide for the family
- You need a better position with job stability
By knowing exactly what you need out of your self-improvement journey, you’ll be more likely to stick to your plans even if you hit bumps in the road.
Set Achievable Goals
Start by setting your end goal — when you know what to work towards, you’ll be able to set the various milestones you need to reach each point of your journey. To do this, be sure to follow the SMART process that Tony Robbins swears by, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and anchored within a Time frame. If you want to get a higher-paying job, then some of the goals you can look into can include:
- Taking courses to further your knowledge
- Gaining certifications for your field
- Seek out cross-training opportunities
Find a Mentor
Find someone who is already an expert in the field and learn from them — find out how they became the best in the industry, find out about their strategies and apply them in your life. If you can’t find a specific mentor, look for people who are like-minded and use them as your support group. These will ideally be positive people who can feed your drive to become better and will provide you with more information.
Track Your Progress
Be sure to keep a journal throughout your journey — you have no idea how useful logging your progress can be, especially when you find yourself in doubt of what you can achieve. Be sure to give yourself clear targets to hit, such as the number of courses you need to take during your first year. When you do meet your goals, be sure to celebrate the wins which you can do in any way you like, whether it’s big or small.
Master New Skills
If you ever get stuck on your self-improvement journey, you might think that there’s nothing left to improve. This isn’t true because there’s always something new to learn — you just have to get out of your comfort zone. Try expanding your skillset with something that you might not need directly, such as learning how to play a musical instrument or learning a language that interests you.