Self Improvement

Self improvement is one of the most honorable pursuits an individual can pursue, largely because it first recognizes an opportunity for improvement, then a desire to achieve that improvement. In very practical terms, self improvement is simply the process of creating or improving a skill or ability to a higher degree of mastery than you currently possess. What is self improvement? It the enhancement of the material conditions of our life. Those material conditions might include our relationships, health, finances, knowledge, etc.

Self improvement and self acceptance; before I change myself, I need to accept myself as I am. This does not mean liking everything; it means loving me as a whole, and acknowledging the reality of whatever I would prefer to be different. Self acceptance assists in my self improvement goals. Self acceptance examines the “problem” honestly, without the distorted view which would be caused by a denial and hatred of that problem. When I see the condition clearly, I am more likely to find a solution — or even to conclude that this is not a problem after all.

During my self improvement goals, my self-acceptance grants more leeway to see a failed attempt as “a good try”; I will go back to the start, and make another attempt, without a punishing self-condemnation which would inhibit me from trying again. Self acceptance gives me strength and peace of mind, to help to endure the challenges of making the transformation (s).

I will need to proceed at a comfortable pace. A gentle pace keeps the goals from being disoriented and unbalanced by the changes in my lifestyle, and it gives time to reinforce new habits through repetition. I cannot truly move on to the next stage of growth until I have learned the lessons at my current stage.

I must be willing to try many different approaches. The world is full of psychological theories, self-help books, and homemade wisdom. If one way doesn’t work, or it stops working, I will try another. There are all different types of people with different goals, so a single technique could not be effective for everybody. I should use whatever works even if I don’t understand why it works.

I will practice the new behaviors and thoughts. New habits are entrenched through repetition; eventually they will feel natural and they should become automatic. I will express these habits by acting “as if” they are true; in daily life, play a role as if I was the person I want to be with the behavior and thoughts that I need. If the new “me” is based on a re-evaluation of my plan; it is the honest acting-out of the new me. Eventually, my new script becomes incorporated into my personality, and it is now “who I really am.”