Self Improvement

Did you know September is Self Improvement Month? How cool is that. Self improvement is a way for you to better yourself while working on your personal growth. Self improvement looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s challenging yourself in ways you never thought possible. Sometimes it’s reading self help books and realizing ways you can be better. And sometimes it just happens as life happens.

I myself have been improving myself for years now. Most of my growth has come from life lessons and realizing who I really am. Age has definitely helped with that too. I feel like a majority of the time we are growing and improving ourselves to become who we really are or need to be. Self improvement is an ongoing process. No one changes overnight, but taking the right steps to improve yourself is a great start.

Self improvement isn’t about making huge drastic changes, but rather small improvements over time. The ultimate goal is to make those small improvements into a lasting habit resulting in big changes to help you improve yourself. Here’s some things to try to improve yourself:

• READ: This can be to learn more about what you want to change or improve on. It could be a self help book. Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis is a personal favorite of mine, along with You Are A Bada$$. There are tons of books out there. The books you read can be for anything – self help, confidence, finding your voice, whatever you want to improve on.
• EXERCISE: Join a gym. Start a 30 day fitness challenge. Take a walk around the block. Get active and get your heart pumping. But also remember to not be hard on yourself when you skip a day. A break is needed from time to time.

• CONTROL: Let go of the things you can’t control and take control of the things you can. You can’t control everything and letting go of the things you can’t control will ease the stress put on you. Taking control of what you can control will help relieve stress and help you gain control back into your life.
• GET UP EARLY: Waking up early isn’t easy for everyone, myself included. You don’t have to wake up crazy early or hours earlier than normal. Take baby steps and start off a half hour earlier than normal, then move to an hour or more. The choice is really up to you. This will allow you more time to relax or take time to yourself before starting your day.
• COMFORT ZONE: Step outside your comfort zone. You know that little box that feels safe, get out of it. Easier said than done I know. When you’re in your comfort zone your brain is more resistant to change. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary, but it also reduces stress, increases your focus, creativity, and helps you deal with unexpected stress life may throw at you.

• BE HONEST: Be honest with yourself in the areas you need or want to improve and don’t feel bad about it. We are all only human and we all have areas we need or want to work on. There is no shame in that. Being honest with yourself will allows you clarity in areas you need improvement and allow you to focus on those areas.
• REFLECTION: Take time each night to reflect. Reflect on your daily progress. Reflect on what needs to change with your improvement routine. Reflecting each day will allow you to see the progress you are making and any areas in your routine that need changed. Don’t be afraid to add things to help you or delete things from your routine if they aren’t working. Sometimes things take a little trial and error to get right.

These are just a few ways you can work on your self improvement. The possibilities are endless. The point is to recognize what you need or want to work on within yourself and find what works best for you. What works best for someone else might not work for you and what works for best for you may not work for others. Self improvement is an ever evolving thing. We are constantly improving and evolving into the best us possible. Remember progress no matter how big or small is progress.