Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

Practical Ways To Improve Yourself

Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?

If you do, then we have something in common.

I’m very passionate about personal growth. It was just 4 years ago when I was working in MNC Automobile Industry and i just frustrated with my daily work and maintain the rules and regularization for someone else . As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.

After a year and a half of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through my personal development blog, I realize there is never an end to the journey of self improvement.

The more I grow, the more I realize there is so much out there I don’t know, so much that I have to learn.

For sure, there is always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth.

Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better.

As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve compiled 42 of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately. Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they are:

1. Read A Book Every Day.

Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to.

What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich, Living the 80/20 Way, the richest man in babylon, the Power of Now and The Power of Habit etc.

Video Tutorial: Top 10 Books You Must Read Before You Die

2. Pick up A New Hobby.

Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn?

Examples are Coocking, Painting, Dancing, Reading, Writing and Gardening etc .

Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc.

Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

Video Tutorial :  Here’re 20 hobbies that can make you Money

3. Take up A New Course.

Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills.

It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too.

I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.

Video Tutorial :  Entrepreneur

4. Level up Your Skills.

If you have played video games before, especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger.

As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?

Video Tutorial : Best Skills for Success

5. Wake up Early.

Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life.

I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day.

Not sure how to wake up early and feel energetic? These ideas will help:

Video Tutorial : The Miracle Morning

6. Have A Weekly Exercise Routine.

A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time.

You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.

Video Tutorial : Smart Work & Time Management

7. Start Your Life Handbook.

A life handbook is an idea I started 5 years ago.

Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life.

I started my life handbook since 2015 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.

Video Tutorial : Journaling

8. Write A Letter To Your Future Self.

What do you see yourself as 5 years from now? Will you be the same? Different? What kind of person will you be?

Write a letter to your future self – 1 year from now will be a good start – and seal it.

Make a date in your calendar to open it 1 year from now. Then start working to become the person you want to open that letter.

Video Tutorial : How to Set Goals and Achieve it

9. Identify Your Blind Spots.

Scientifically, blind spots refer to areas our eyes are not capable of seeing. In personal development terms, blind spots are things about ourselves we are unaware of. Discovering our blind spots help us discover our areas of improvement.

One exercise I use to discover my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that trigger me in a day — trigger meaning making me feel annoyed/weird/affected. These represent my blind spots.

It’s always fun to do the exercise because I discover new things about myself, even if I may already think I know my own blind spots (but then they wouldn’t be blind spots would they?).

After that, I work on steps to address them.

Video Tutorial : Atomic Habits before Setting Goals 

10. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.

Real growth comes with hard work and sweat. Being too comfortable doesn’t help us grow, it makes us stagnate.

What is your comfort zone? Do you stay in most of the time? Do you keep to your own space when out with other people?

Shake your routine up. Do something different.

By exposing yourself to a new context, you’re literally growing as you learn to act in new circumstances.

Video Tutorial : 7 Great Habits to Financial Freedom

11. Stay Focused With to-do Lists.

I start my day with a list of tasks I want to complete and this helps make me stay focused. In comparison, the days when I don’t do this end up being extremely unproductive.

For example, part of my to-do list for today is to write a guest post at LifeHack.Org, and this is why I’m writing this now!

Since my work requires me to use my computer all the time, I use Free Sticky Notes to manage my to-do lists. It’s really simple to use and it’s a freeware, so I recommend you check it out.

Video Tutorial : How to Stay Focused

12. Learn From People Who Inspire You.

Think about people you admire. People who inspire you. These people reflect certain qualities you want to have for yourself too.

What are the qualities in them you want to have for yourself? How can you acquire these qualities?

Video Tutorial : You Can Learn Anything

13. Get A Mentor or Coach.

There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals.

Many of my clients approach me to coach them in their goals and they achieve significantly more results than if they had worked alone.

If you’re looking for a mentor, don’t miss these tips:

Video Tutorial : The Law of Success

14. Start a 30-day challenge.

Set a goal and give yourself 30 days to achieve this. Your goal can be to stick with a new habit or something you’ve always wanted to do but have not.

30 days is just enough time to strategist, plan, get into action, review and nail the goal.

Video Tutorial : How to Get Rid of Bad Habits

15. Start A Business Venture.

Is there anything you have an interest in? Why not turn it into a venture and make money while learning at the same time?

Starting a new venture requires you to be learn business management skills, develop business acumen and have a competitive edge.

The process of starting and developing my personal development business has equipped me with many skills, such as self-discipline, leadership, organization and management.

Video Tutorial : 4 Steps of Successful Startup

16. Show Kindness To People Around You.

You can never be too kind to someone. In fact, most of us don’t show enough kindness to people around us.

Being kind helps us to cultivate other qualities such as compassion, patience, and love.

As you get back to your day after reading this article later on, start exuding more kindness to the people around you, and see how they react.

Not only that, notice how you feel as you behave kindly to others. Chances are, you will feel even better than yourself.

17. Reach Out To The People Who Hate You.

If you ever stand for something, you are going to get haters.

It’s easy to hate the people who hate us. It’s much more challenging to love them back.

Being able to forgive, let go and show love to these people requires magnanimity and an open heart.

Is there anyone who dislikes or hates you in your life? If so, reach out to them. Show them love.

Seek a resolution and get closure on past grievances. Even if they refuses to reciprocate, love them all the same. It’s much more liberating than to hate them back.

Video Tutorial : How to Win Friends and Influence People

18. Read At Least 1 Personal Development Article A Day.

Some of my readers make it a point to read at least one personal development article every day, which I think is a great habit.

There are many terrific personal development blogs out there, some of which you can check here.

19. Commit To Your Personal Growth.

I can be writing list articles with 10 ways, 25 ways, 42 ways or even 1,000 ways to improve yourself, but if you have no intention to commit to your personal growth, it doesn’t matter what I write.

Nothing is going to get through. We are responsible for our personal growth — not anyone else. Not your mom, your dad, your friend, me or Lifehack.

Make the decision to commit to your personal growth and embrace yourself to a life-long journey of growth and change. Kick off your growth by picking a few of the steps above and working on them.

The results may not be immediate, but I promise you that as long as you keep to it, you’ll start seeing positive changes in yourself and your life.

So here you are, 19 solid ways for self improvement. Pick one or a few to start doing today.

If you want to see yourself improving, you must take some actions.

Video Tutorial : 7 Life Changing Principles