Self Improvement Month: 7 Methods of Self Improvement

Self Improvement Month: 7 Methods of Self Improvement

September is coming right up and so is pumpkin-spiced everything! Aside from all this deliciousness, September is also self-improvement month! That means it’s a great opportunity to look into some ways you can make your life a little better. Depending on your unique lifestyle, interests, and personal weaknesses, methods of self-improvement are going to look different for everyone. Regardless of the variety in our self-improvement goals, a lot of us face many common challenges on our journeys. It’s easy to slack off, become distracted, or be discouraged by the difficulties. Here are some ways to be more prepared before you head down the road to a better version of you:

Surround Yourself With the Right People

You may already know that having consistent interactions with others that have similar goals and interests to you can be conducive to your success. Whether it’s your friends of ten years, a new friend you made last week, or your significant other, keep your relationships aflame. Don’t be afraid to reach out to an old classmate you haven’t spoken to in five years, but have something to rekindle your relationship upon. Compliment some new content they’ve just posted or congratulate them on a recent achievement, then let them know that you’ve got goals in common. Don’t just look at their past successes and future goals, but the whole picture. Cut out anyone with toxic traits that could hinder your success. If someone’s won all the awards you dream of but is constantly putting you down, they’re probably not worth keeping around. Spend time with people who bring out the best in you!

Find the Right Mentor

One of the above “right people” should be an uplifting mentor who understands your goals and is willing to answer your questions. If you haven’t met anyone already, go to networking events and connect with others on LinkedIn. Plenty of experienced folks there are happy to take someone under their wing.

Read, Read, Read!

Take a look at some helpful books and blogs relevant to your personal goals. Ask your connections what they’re reading and research for yourself whether their resources are a good fit for you as well. Here’s a list of great self-help books that’ll help with your mentality to better prepare for reaching your goals. If you prefer something more audible, check out online events. Now that most events are online, you have a wider variety of webinars, virtual networking happy hours, and other educational events right at home.

Try Waking up Early

For some, waking up early can be a performance-enhancing way to start the day. Waking up early is pretty common among well-known successful people, including over half of millionaires and executives. It’s theorized that waking up early can give you a sense of control in your life since most of the world isn’t awake yet, which means you’ve got some time alone without anyone distracting you from your productivity. If you’re thinking, “How am I supposed to wake up early if it’s so hard to fall asleep?” there are plenty of lifestyle changes you can implement to fall asleep more easily. If you’re having trouble sleeping, your mattress is likely the problem. Luckily, Lull’s here to help. For a limited time, save $150 on a new, affordable, ultra-comfortable memory foam mattress that’ll wick away heat in those hot summer nights. Don’t skimp out on sleep to wake up early -- there are too many health benefits of getting a good night’s sleep for that!

Get More Physically Active

If you haven’t been very physically active, go out (or stay in) and get sweating! Physical exercise actually has quite a few positive effects on mental health, which can improve your performance. Consistently getting in some exercise, especially aerobic activities like swimming, dancing, and jogging improves blood circulation in the brain and triggers other mechanisms that lower stress and improve memory. If you’re not feeling like going outside, check out YouTube for plenty of home workouts that’ll have you sweating in front of the TV.

Learn to Be Okay With Failure

Your journey towards a better you isn’t going to be filled with solely successes, even if you do improve. Depending on your overall goal, there will be moments or days where things aren’t going the way you want them to. For example, someone learning a new language may struggle with the pronunciation of new words and feel discouraged, but keep persisting until success. Someone learning a new sport might be injured pushing themselves to peak performance before healing and performing better than before. Someone striving to eat more healthy may down a couple buckets of fried chicken a day before getting back on track. Even if you’re quickly moving to success, the road isn’t always going to be linear. The only way to be sure you’re moving forward is to get up and keep trying. Small losses and temporary setbacks don’t mean an overall failure -- unless you give up.

Accept and Understand Your Flaws

Going through a transformative period in life is much easier when you can identify everything holding you back. It’s easy to accept the more obvious, external constraints such as time, money, or geography, but internal flaws can be more difficult to accept. You don’t have to suddenly become flawless, rather you should understand how your flaws will work along this journey. For example, if you have a difficult time venturing into a new, uncomfortable but necessary zone, how can you overcome this? One way would be connecting with another person with the same issue or discussing it with others who may have some insights and advice. That’s another reason why connections and mentors are important! ---- Having a supportive community, some time for yourself, the ability to accept the harder times, and the means to sleep better can make a major difference in how determined and equipped you feel to take on self-improvement. There’s no need to wait until 2021 to make a resolution of self-improvement. Whether you’re looking for a dramatic life makeover or just a subtle spritz of improvement, don’t hesitate to start working on self-improvement as soon as possible.
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