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How to Improve Yourself: 16 Powerful Secrets of Self-Improvement

You know the phrase, “new year, new me.” There’s never been a better time to work on yourself than now. Take these 16 steps on how to improve yourself.

how to improve yourself

I’m a great example of failing to improve yourself. Hell, I’ve been trying to get a beach body for the past eight years, which obviously means I put in as much effort as a sloth. But I realized it was really about me not wanting to improve myself. So, if you’ve reached the peak of your laziness and have hit your ultimate low, you have no choice but to go up. Learn the tricks for how to improve yourself.

How to improve yourself – The must-do for self-improvement

But what do you do? How do you improve yourself? For some of us, it’s going to be just taking a shower. Trust me, I’ve been there. But once you’ve done that shower, keep on going. So, let’s get some ideas going on how to improve yourself.

All it’s going to take is some elbow grease and time.

#1 Acknowledge your need to improve. If you’re sitting on your couch, wearing the same pair of underwear since last year, that’s a pretty good sign. Now, if you don’t see this as an issue, you haven’t yet reached enlightenment. To actually improve and not be like me who almost reached a decade to lose five pounds, you need to admit you need to improve. [Read: 12 things you do to make your life much worse]

#2 Face your fears. We all have fears. Mine are dying alone and gaining weight. I know, they’re not the deepest of fears, but no matter what the fear is, it’s clearly holding you back from achieving something. So, what you need to do is face them. Listen, you have one life to live, fight for your happiness.

#3 Confront mistakes made. We’ve all f*cked up. I make mistakes daily. However, to improve yourself, admit your mistakes. That’s the only way you’ll be aware of what you need to work on. Plus, you’ll probably make the same mistake again. You mostly try to change the path you’re going down.

#4 Set goals. Now, let’s not make these goals too big and grandiose. Baby steps, people. Set achievable goals. It could be to join a gym and work out twice a week or call your mom every Sunday.

See, they aren’t big, but they’ll make a huge difference in your life. You don’t need some five or ten year plan—keep it short and sweet. [Read: How to build self-confidence: 16 ways to realize you’re worth it]

#5 Work on being honest. This is probably the hardest thing you can do. Listen, you must be honest with yourself. It’s the only way you start doing things you want to do.

If you don’t want to go on that Tinder date, just be honest. If you just got dumped, be honest with yourself about the relationship. Honesty isn’t fun nor is it easy, but it’s relieving.

#6 Cut out the bad. If you really want to know how to improve yourself, start by cutting out the bad. Just cut it, rip it off like a band-aid. Do you have a friend that leeches off you for everything? Cut it. Are you a smoker? Stop buying your daily pack of cigarettes. If there are additional stresses in your life that are completely unnecessary and avoidable, then cut them. [Read: 17 bad friends you should unfriend from your life]

#7 Write every day. You may think this is lame, that the idea of having a journal or diary is pointless, but think of it as free therapy. You’re able to write your deepest, darkest feelings in a space where you’ll never be judged. So, make it a goal to write at least once a day, even if you have nothing to say.

#8 Don’t quit after you complete a goal. So, you lost those pesky five pounds or you got the job you always wanted, but now what? What’s your next goal? What will be your next achievement? You just can’t stop there, you know, you still have more fight left in you. So, keep going.

#9 Focus on what you really want. What do you want? I mean, what do you really want for yourself? When you figure that out, do everything you can to get it. Focus yourself on it and don’t get distracted with drama, boyfriends, or girlfriends—stay on track. [Read: How to smile more often: 9 baby steps to change your life forever]

#10 Take a couple minutes every day for you. I know you’re probably busy and your Facebook notifications pop up on your phone and someone on Instagram is messaging you a meme. Take a couple minutes and put your phone away. Take those minutes to think about yourself, how you’re feeling, and your goals. It’s so easy to get distracted, but two minutes a day helps you stay on track.

#11 You’re going to make mistakes. This one is probably the most important thing to know when it comes to understanding how to improve yourself. You’re going to make so many mistakes. I wouldn’t really call them mistakes. More like things you wish you didn’t do, but you did and now you just have to keep moving forward. So, these “mistakes” you’re going to make are simply learning lessons, so keep moving forward.

#12 Try something completely new. You can’t self-improve if you’re doing the same old routine over and over again. Why not just try something new?

It doesn’t have to be completely out of your comfort zone, but take a class that sounds interesting to you. Does it matter what it is? Not at all. [Read: Mere exposure effect – Why something familiar isn’t always better]

#13 Spend more time with supportive people. Listen, there’s really no point hanging around people that don’t love and support you. If that’s what you’re doing, then you’re being self-destructive. So, if you really want to improve yourself, and I mean, you really want it, you’re going to have to surround yourself with people that want you to be the best version of you.

#14 Be internally clean. This is where we talk about food. I know you love Big Macs, you’re only human. But at the end of the day, you really are what you eat. So, shape up.

Start eating clean and you’ll notice your body physically and spiritually feels better, almost lighter. Is this to lose weight? It doesn’t have to be, it can just be about appreciating your body.

#15 Go out. People usually think self-improvement means they have to stop going out and live a life of purity. That’s wrong. In fact, you should be going out and having fun, why not?

I mean, you need an outlet to let loose and have a good time. Meet new people, laugh, enjoy life—isn’t that what life’s about? [Read: 20 lifestyle decisions to make for a better life]

#16 Volunteer. I know, who wants to work if they’re not getting paid? I get why you don’t volunteer, and honestly, that was me not too long ago. But I volunteered at a refugee center, and it was a humbling and profound experience. For once, you’re not doing something for yourself which can be a huge factor in developing gratefulness and humbleness.

[Read: 15 ways to be someone who always says, I love my life]

Still wondering how to improve yourself? Well, just start with these little steps, get up off the couch and give it a go! The changes may seem small, but they’ll all add up to something huge!

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Natasha_Ivanovic
Natasha Ivanovic
Natasha Ivanovic is an intimacy, dating, and relationship writer best known for her writings on Kiiroo, LovePanky, Post Pravda, and more. She's the creator and ...
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