You’re reading 7 Paths to Self-Improvement, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Self-improvement is a broad field. It can mean being a better person, learning something new, accomplishing more, or simply figuring out how to better enjoy the life you have. Even the inspiration to improve can come from a number of different places: boredom, staleness, recurring problems, or a general feeling of dissatisfaction or inadequacy. But just because you know it’s time for something to change, it’s not always easy to know where to start.
There are plenty of resources out there, but it can be hard to find one that speaks to you and your particular motivations. The internet is full of suggestions, but a quick search shows that it might be too full. During my last motivational quest, looking for “self-improvement ideas” turned into hours of reading, as I skimmed literally hundreds of lists, some of them with only a few items, but others dozens or even hundreds of suggestions long.
Worse, the suggestions were all over the place. Meditate. Learn a new language. Stop biting your nails. (What if you don’t bite them? Should you start and then stop?) Get up earlier and go to bed earlier. (Is that actual improvement, or just shifting things around to better conform with some puritanical code?) After hours of reading, I actually felt more confused about what to do than before I’d started searching.
Eventually I decided to try to organize the suggestions, lumping similar ideas and trends into what became broad categories, which I call the Seven Axes of Development. (Okay, that spells SAD, which isn’t the goal. Ignore that.) They are:
That’s still a lot of material, but having the categories helps. My guess is most of us naturally excel at one or two of them, really struggle with a couple (or several), and the others are somewhere in the middle. There are a few ways you can go from here. One may be to target the weakest areas, because it gives you the opportunity for the greatest improvement. On the other hand, if you’re struggling, maybe picking one of your strongest axes, which are usually more fun and interesting, is a great way to get some easy wins. Or take one of the items in the middle, which is a good candidate for going from mediocre to excellent without too much pain.
Honestly, any of those options could work, but from week to week or month to month, you might rotate through all three tactics, as the mood strikes or life allows.
There’s an advanced technique I’d like to recommend, though. What I did was take this list of axes and build a 30-day challenge, basically speed-dating my way through all the different options and angles, just to make sure I tried them all out a little, in order to better assess how they felt and what my chances of success were. For each axis I came up with three or four different things I could try out in just half an hour. Obviously learning a language in 30 minutes is out, but maybe a meditation session or some reading will tick the Intellectual checkbox, while some exercise or a lengthy stretching session can be a Physical goal for a day. For Organizational you could do a little light decluttering one day, and then some heavy cleaning in that one trouble spot (you probably have one, and know what it is) the next. Interpersonal might involve some quality time with a loved one or calling up someone you’ve fallen out of touch with, and so on.
So, make a list of 30 of these items, distributing them as evenly as possible against all the categories. It’s okay—great, even—to combine them. Playing a sport might include Physical, Interpersonal, and Talented components, for instance. Then, in roughly half an hour per day, (enough to get some things done, but not so much it really derails your life) do one of these things each day 30 days. Ideally you’ll take some notes about your experiences, deciding what you love and what you hate, what’s easy or difficult.
At the end of 30 days, not only will you already feel accomplished, but you’ll have a much better idea of what to pursue in the future. Self-improvement is more of a process than a goal, so there’s always more to do. By using the axes and starting with a 30-day challenge, you can identify blind spots, gain appreciation for the parts you already do well, and set a target on what aspect you want to improve next.
Aaron Rath is a novelist and humorist who nurtures a love for self-inflicted ordeals, such as this 30-day self-improvement challenge, which eventually became The Quirkz Handbook to Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay.
You’ve read 7 Paths to Self-Improvement, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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You’re reading How to Rejuvenate Your Life with These Remarkable Lifestyle Changes, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
The quest for happiness is innate to human beings. Even in ancient times when there was no global connectivity and no axe to grind with one another, civilizations prevailed because of stability and an urge of making kingdoms happy.
Coming back to the present context, today human existence is grappling with a huge range of issues. Terrorism, famine, poverty, fundamentalism, tyranny and social crimes are eliciting a grim picture to the fore. The good thing, however, is being happy doesn’t have to do anything with these issues. It is something that is at the core our existence.
Unfortunately, many people succumb to unfavorable circumstances and make themselves lead a miserable life. It is noteworthy to understand that only a happy person can make others happy.
If you want to be happier & healthier and ready to make lifestyle changes, there are several ways to do that. It is about time you have made a decision to be happy and bring the smile to the faces of your loved ones.
Here are the powerful lifestyle changes you need to rejuvenate your life:
You are not the only one who is in dire straits, there are others who need your help and who do not know to get over their sorrows. Be compassionate and extend your helping hand to such people. This is a great human service and you will forget your own unhappiness. There is an age-old philosophy – “what goes around comes around” – so if you are ready to extend this gesture, you will get it back with interest. However, you shouldn’t help others for getting something in return, for such an attitude will not fulfill the purpose of attaining happiness. Rather, being compassionate and helpful gives a great satisfaction. By doing that you are providing a life change for two individuals – yourself and the recipient of your compassion.
Being with friends is one of the greatest fulfillment. You don’t have to think and behave in a particular manner whenever you hang-out with your friends. When you are unhappy and hopeless, your friends are there for you. Moreover, staying isolated and lonely makes no sense when we are social animals and enjoy one another’s company. Be it a friend, family member or a colleague, you need a selfless person who can keep you motivated and lively. Indulge in a conversation with your friends and intimate them about the challenges you are confronting and the things you are learning from them. It would be great if you keep organizing sweet get- together with your close pals and spend precious moments with each other. On other occasions such as weddings or birthdays of your friends, you can give them their favorite bottle of beer with personalized beer bottle labels having photos and images of previous memories.
Laughter has an enormous healing power as it is often termed as the best medicine. Spend some time with people who make you laugh or you can watch comic videos on the internet. Indulging in activities that prompt laughter, will give you a big relief and you can feel the flow of happiness. However, you shouldn’t stop at that, you should encourage others to laugh as well. Since laughter is contagious, your act of laughing may titillate others as well. It ensures that you are spreading a sense of positivity around yourself. Furthermore, smiling releases endorphins – hormones of happiness. A good way of smiling is to get hold of an old photo album consisting memorable photographs. Just go through them and you won’t stop yourself from smiling.
Be grateful for life, as some moments bring happiness while others may make you upset, but the simple fact of life is it is your own choice to be happy and healthy. Many philosophers believe making a statement gives an individual more of what he is grateful for. So if you believe that you are grateful for a good health – you will indeed get more good health. Being grateful for the beauty of nature even soothes your innermost self. Come out and go into the lap of nature and feel the lush green trees, blooming flowers and appreciate mountains & valleys. If being grateful in this manner doesn’t make you feel happy and fulfilling, nothing is.
Exercise is considered as a cure for every disease and negativity that unfortunately may come in your life. A regular exercise not only keeps your body weight in check, and it makes you stronger and gives you a feeling of youthfulness. When you work out daily, you become active, less stressed out, less anxious, calm and more importantly happier. Exercise releases dopamine – a neurotransmitter in your brain that is responsible for happiness and pleasure. Exercising also boosts your confidence. It gives you a feeling that you are well within the reach of neutralizing negative effects in your life.
Final Words
Happiness cannot and should not be one’s destination; it should be a way of life. Nobody can make you happy if you yourself don’t want to be. Everything in life cannot go according to your will, in fact sometimes everything opposite happens. But you always have options and reasons to be happy. The above-mentioned lifestyle changes are powerful tips to remain happy and healthy in life.
You’ve read How to Rejuvenate Your Life with These Remarkable Lifestyle Changes, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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Sig Nordal 