While success can take many forms, there is one part of the journey that is always the same – that is your need to improve yourself to achieve your goals. When you master the 5 keys to self-improvement, you position yourself on the path to success. Each of the below keys to self-improvement will help you change your life if you commit to implementing them daily.
1. Faith Is Undefeated
Think back to a time when you were successful in trying something new. If you are like me, then success may not be the most accurate way to describe your first attempt. Nevertheless, you took something from that experience that helped you the next time around. Each experience brought you closer to your goal until you achieved it. Each time you fell, you had to decide whether you were going to quit or try again. This is no different than a baby learning to walk. A baby is going to fall down ample times. Yet, they maintain their faith in their ability to walk because they see others walking around them. For a baby, it is that simple. As long as they can see someone walking, they have no reason to believe they cannot. Fortunately, babies tend to be surrounded by people who reinforce that belief. Every time a baby falls, they have someone there to encourage them to get back up. No matter how many times they fall to the ground, someone is there to cheer and encourage them. One of the most important keys to self-improvement is to believe you can be successful. Regardless of how difficult things may be, know that if you keep going, you are going to achieve your goal.
2. Become Your Biggest Fan
To help you maintain your motivation to continue when things become difficult, it is important for you to forgive yourself. Studies show there is a positive correlation between self-compassion and self-improvement.[1] People who have an “accepting approach to personal failure” tend to be “more motivated to improve themselves.” If you see failure as nothing more than a part of the path to success, then there is no reason for you to become discouraged when you fail. Those who are kind to themselves and engage in positive self-talk will look for lessons in moments of misfortune. They will look for opportunities in times of disaster. Self-compassion is one of the keys to self-improvement because you do not see failure as a sign of your own inadequacies. Instead, you see failure as an opportunity to grow and improve yourself. You recognize where you are today is due to the information you have obtained to this point. All that means is you need to gain more knowledge on how to create the life you want. Most people quit before they can create their dream life because they see failure as a sign they do not have what it takes. The truth is you have always had the abilities, you just need to learn how to use them. By being compassionate and kind to yourself, you give yourself the necessary time to become a master.
3. Don’t Put Your Head in the Sand
There are two types of people in the world. There are pilers and there are filers. I happen to be a piler. I tend to keep records in small piles around my house. I know the contents of each pile and have a plan to work through the pile in due time (regardless of what my wife says). Others are filers. They prefer to list their action items and love checking things off each day. As a result, using folders and filing things in a cabinet tends to make more sense to them. The good news is you are not being asked to change who you. Whether you are filer or a piler is not a point of contention. The goal is for you to find a way to bring consciousness to your daily choices. This could be as simple as you having a note in your pocket that says, “does this improve the quality of my life?”. Or it could be as detailed as making a checklist of the activities you need to engage in each day to accomplish your goal. Either way, you need to find a way that works for you to bring your actions to the forefront of your mind.
4. Recalibrate Regularly
Have you ever worn loose clothes for a few months and became oblivious to the fact that you have gained some weight? Yea, me too. You feel normal and all of your clothes fit (or so you think). Then when you attempt to put on a suit or jeans, you realize you have gained some weight. Well, what happened? Why weren’t you able to notice the weight change until it was significant? It was your loose clothes that kept you from noticing the changes in your body. The best way to notice when your size changes is to wear clothes that are your actual size. What this does is bring immediate awareness to the situation. As uncomfortable as it may feel, wouldn’t you rather notice the change when it is small and manageable? The problem is no one likes the feeling of falling short of their goals. As a coping mechanism, you will naturally avoid anything that may cause you to feel like a failure. However, by avoiding things when they are small and manageable, you are creating a bigger problem for later. Instead of evading the problem until it becomes unavoidable, make small periodic adjustments to stay on the path of success. You will know what decisions created those immediate results and you can change things before you drift too far. Actively deciding what actions you will take each day is one of the most profound keys to self-improvement.[2]
5. Change Your Self-Image
Your mind cannot distinguish between fact and fiction. It is going to store and categorize each experience the same way. That is why you feel such strong emotions when you are watching movies. You felt sadness and disbelief when Thanos first snapped his fingers in Avengers Infinity War. You felt relief and joy when Marlin was finally able to reunite with his son Nemo. Even though you knew these events did not really happen, it did not change your very real reaction. Now, how can you use this fact as one of your keys to self-improvement? Olympic athletes share how they use visualization as a form of training to help ensure they are ready to compete.[3] Much like a movie, they visualize themselves competing and winning at the Olympics. If they visualize themselves losing, they perform the action again until they can see themselves winning. Each time they visualize themselves competing, they become more and more confident in their ability to win. As I mentioned previously, the reason this technique is so powerful is that your mind cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy. As a result, each time you visualize yourself accomplishing your goal, your mind starts to believe your goal has already been accomplished. As silly as it sounds, that belief will pave your path to success in gold.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of how you define success, you must grow to accomplish your goals. To put it another way, your current mindset has helped you create the life you have lived thus far. he changes you want to make in your life require you to change your mindset. The 5 keys to self-improvement discussed in this article will help you do just that.
More About Self-Improvement
15 Simple Ways To Make Self Improvement That Will Change Your Life 42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself 25 Best Self Improvement Books to Read No Matter How Old You Are
Featured photo credit: Hu Chen via unsplash.com
