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 2 years ago when I discovered my passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 27 and having corporate experience of 7 yrs. 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 personal interaction and my surrounding, 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 some 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.

2. Learn a new language.

As an Indian, my main languages are English and Hindi. Out of interest, I took up language course in the past few years such as German.

I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.

3. 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?

Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.

4. Take up a new course.

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

5. Create an inspirational room.

Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day.

6. Overcome your fears.

All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing.

Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth.

If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.

7. 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.

8. Have a weekly exercise routine.

A better you start with being in better physical shape.

9. Start your life handbook.

A life handbook is an idea I started 2 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

After that, I work on steps to address them.

13. Ask for feedback.

As much as we try to improve, we will always have blind spots. Asking for feedback gives us an additional perspective.

Some people to approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances, since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.

14. 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.

15. Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).

I’m a big fan of setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally.

16. Acknowledge your flaws.

Everyone has flaws. What’s most important is to understand them, acknowledge them, and address them.

17. Get into action.

The best way to learn and improve is to take action.

18. 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.

19. Quit a bad habit.

Are there any bad habits you can lose? Oversleeping? Not exercising? Being late? Slouching? Nail biting? Smoking?

20. Cultivate a new habit.

Some good new habits to cultivate include reading books (#1), waking up early (#8), exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article a day (#40) and meditating.

Is there any other new habit you can cultivate to improve yourself?

21. Avoid negative people.

Wherever we go, there are bound to be negative people. Don’t spend too much of your time around them if you feel they drag you down.

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”.

22. Learn to deal with difficult people.

There are times when there are difficult people you can’t avoid, such as at your workplace, or when the person is part of your inner circle of contacts.

Learn how to deal with them. These people management skills will go a long way in working with people in the future.

23. Learn from your friends.

Everyone has amazing qualities in them. It’s up to how we want to tap into them.

With all the friends who surround you, they are going to have things you can learn from.

24. Start a journal.

Journaling is a great way to gain better self-awareness. It’s a self-reflection process.

As you write, clarify your thought process and read what you wrote from a third person’s perspective, you gain more insights about yourself.

25. Get a mentor or coach.

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

26. Meditate.

Meditation helps to calm you and be more conscious.

27. Let go of the past.

Is there any grievance or unhappiness from the past which you have been holding on? If so, it’s time to let it go.

Holding on to them prevents you from moving on and becoming a better person. Break away from the past, forgive yourself, and move on.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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 refuse to reciprocate, love them all the same. It’s much more liberating than to hate them back.

...your friend,
Lokesh Maheshwari