Do you want to improve areas of yourself? Maybe you want to change how you look. You may want to alter the wiring in your brain and change how you think. Most of us have a thing or two that we want to improve about ourselves. So how do you work on yourself in a way that leads to results?
It isn’t always easy to work on ourselves. For starters, we need to be aware of our shortcomings first. And then, we need to recognize the benefit of change. Personal growth is not straightforward, but we are here to help you get started.
This article will explain the benefits of working on yourself. It will also suggest 5 ways to start working on yourself.
Contents
Why should you work on yourself?
Life is not a dress rehearsal; you only get one shot.
You can drift through life without ever realizing your full potential, or you can do the hard work, invest in yourself, and see what you are capable of.
You are entitled to be the best possible version of yourself. There’s a strange domino effect that occurs when you start to invest in yourself. Opportunities arise—the vibes you put out come back to you. The world opens up.
In other words, when you work on your personal development and invest in yourself, you’ll experience the following benefits:
- Boosted self-esteem.
- Raised confidence.
- Your relationship with yourself improves.
- Your relationship with others improves.
- You become more open-minded.
- Feel more fulfilled.
Remember: happiness is cultivated from within us. You learn to create happiness when you work on yourself.
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The difficulties of working on yourself
The process of personal growth is complex. Maybe you are stuck in an unhealthy romantic relationship or surrounded by fake “friends.” You may have buried away disturbing memories from your past.
When we work on ourselves, we start to see patterns of behavior for which we are ultimately responsible. It’s important not to indulge in the blame game, either for yourself or others.
Sometimes, the path of most significant growth will need to take us through the past. And the only way we can move forward is by dealing with something we left behind long ago. The whole process requires us to have honest and open discussions with ourselves and others.
This study investigated whether self-improvement enhanced well-being. It suggests that readiness for self-improvement correlates with life accomplishments and future prospects.
The study states that a readiness for self-improvement could be considered a “personal ability” and a “life chance to lead a good life.”
5 ways to work on yourself
We are all different; there is no set path to follow. You are the only you on this earth, and only you know where your friction lies. That’s a great place to start your investigation.
Don’t procrastinate for too long. The critical thing is just getting started. From a personal perspective, this year has been a year of immense personal growth for me.
I have endured a year of ups and downs throughout my growth journey, and I already feel happier and more fulfilled having done this work. However, I have a long way still to go.
These are my top 5 tips for working on yourself.
1. Journal your thoughts
How do you know what you want to work on if you aren’t self-aware? Journalling is a great way to sift through your thoughts. Journaling allows you to build a symbiotic relationship between your past and future.
If you are stuck with ideas on what to write about, here’s our helpful article with things to write in your journal.
Journaling helps us discover things about ourselves that we might not be conscious of. You will likely find areas you would like to work on through this writing process.
2. Read and learn
Books are incredible! They open up a whole world of knowledge and expertise. And it’s not just books; we have magazines, online articles like this, and journals.
The world is brimming with information. If there is a particular area you want to work on, I guarantee there is a book on that.
Earlier this year, I wanted to work on my people-pleasing habit. I read the book “Not Nice” by Dr. Aziz Gazipura. He took me on a journey to identify idiosyncrasies of my people-pleasing behavior. This book helped me recognize my unhealthy habits, which I didn’t even realize were part of my people-pleasing.
Whether you want to master a skill or help overcome a trait holding you back, your local library or bookstore probably has a book that can guide you.
3. Seek professional help
Sometimes we can’t do the work by ourselves.
No matter what it is you are seeking to work on, there is an expert who can help you. If you want to improve your performance at work, a career coach can help with this. Alternatively, you may need help with health and fitness, in which case a plethora of physical trainers and coaches are waiting to hear from you.
Please seek a good therapist if you feel stuck in old traumas or have past difficulties that you cannot unpack alone.
4. Embrace self-compassion
If you are ready to work on yourself, you must also be prepared to be kind to yourself.
Striving to be better takes hard work. We don’t always get it right, and we are often left frustrated and confused. In these times, it helps to be gentle with ourselves. Learning self-compassion is a skill in itself.
Talk to yourself like you would talk to a close friend: no blame or scathing remarks. Recognize how far you have come on your journey and highlight all your progress.
Mistakes will happen, but don’t ruminate on these. We all make errors, and that’s okay because we are only human. Forgive yourself and move on.
5. Enjoy the journey
Laugh, jump, squeal and dance.
There’s always room to work on yourself so it can sometimes feel as if you’ll never reach your destination. So you need to make sure to enjoy the journey. Whichever way you like to work on yourself, do it your way, and make every day count.
Life is for living in the present. The past has been and gone and while we can work on its impact, let’s not let it drag us down.
Be careful to not allow your past to control your present. And don’t let future worries stop you from living in the present.
You are incredible and have so much love to give and receive. It is your time to shine!
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Wrapping up
We all deserve to feel happy and fulfilled in life. When you start working on yourself, you will strip back a layer of unnecessary burdens and release a more secure and sparklier version of yourself. But remember, the work never stops. There is no end destination; we are all continually growing.
What’s your ideal environment for working on yourself? What’s an achievement that you’re particularly proud of? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
