Achieving Self-Improvements in 5 Steps

Many people wish for self-improvement, but the idea often only reaches New Year's Resolution and never comes true. Are you struggling to improve yourself, too? Do you want to achieve self-growth by this year?

Most humankind tends to view self-improvement as leaps from zero to hero, but actually, that is not the case. This post will share some of my methods for making easy and manageable simple improvements. 📈💕 But before we get down to the article, do not forget to like ❤️👍 this post and subscribe 🔔 as this will help the channel grow! Also, feel free to share this link with anyone who might find these self-improvement tips helpful ✍️

With that being said, let's get down to the tips!

---

I was not into self-improvement as a teenager, as I thought self-improvement meant studying boring things with boring teachers that made me sit straight without moving for several hours. Hence, I spent my weekends hibernating, literally sleeping from morning until late afternoon, only waking up for munching something and playing some games, or if anyone invited me to go to the mall or eat out. I thought that was fun. 🤷

Now, I have been immersing myself in self-improvement since 2017. I managed to alter my bad habit and change it with the good ones through a series of manageable habits. Here are five easy tips to make a practical change toward self-improvement!

1. Mindset

According to Dweck (2006), there are two types of people: those with a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. The best way to make self-improvement is to change the trajectory of our mindset from a fixed one to a growth one. This trajectory, in turn, becomes the force that can shift our action of choice and allows us to progress in life.

For example, I am currently enrolled in the Master of Education program since June 2020, as well as studying three languages at once, so I do not have much time to hang out with my pals as much as before. I could mourn over my endless routine, or I could focus on my ambitions. However, I realize that when I am experiencing hardships and putting a significant amount of effort into something, I can expect to suffer for a while. As a result, I decided to quit wallowing in self-pity and instead adopt a more positive mindset which eases me to pull my ambitions off.

2. Easy Access

I tried to make the habit of self-improvement easy to execute so I will not be lazy in doing what I have planned for myself. For instance, to ensure I have a positive view on eating and self-growth, I bookmarked several talks about health, well-being, and mindfulness, so the home of my Youtube is filled with these topics rather than Mukbang or cooking videos. You can see the sneak peek below:

3. Routine Action

To make manageable self-improvement, I take action that matches my small and achievable goal after settling my mind. In 2017, I aimed to listen to just 10 minutes of the podcast every time I was awake. What is the result? It has been five years now, and I am glad I never miss this morning routine✨ This one simple routine helps me have a better relationship with what I eat, how I eat, and my overall point of view in life. This small success in improving one bit of myself also encourages me to explore and expand further to develop other areas of my life. Nowadays, I utilize podcasts to support my journey as a polyglot as I learn three different languages each day.

4. Suitable Rhythm

As its name suggested, self-improvement does not stop just because we manage to improve a little, and it will never be. If we ever stop improving ourselves, then it is the same as being stuck in life. Hence, each year, we need to challenge ourselves into doing something new✨ Nonetheless, we need to find our so-called rhythm or the pace that suits us the most to make self-improvement without feeling burdened.

Each person has a different body chronotype, mindset, life goals, and health, so it is normal that we have different activity and progress rhythms as well. As you can see, my self-improvement rhythm started small, just listening to a 10-minute podcast a day. Then, I added reading a chapter of a book a day to the existing habit of podcast listening. Then, I added writing a page of a diary of gratitude journaling to podcast listening and book-reading habits. The hardest one is to start, but it will be easier to carry on afterward 💕

5. Flywheel Momentum

Abdaal (2019) refers to the continuous rhythm of active action that sustains a positive mindset as a flywheel momentum 🎡 What does it mean? I like to imagine a flywheel momentum like pedaling a bicycle 🚴 Pedaling a bicycle is pretty heavy at first, but as you pedal along it gets lighter and easier as you carry the momentum with you. Soon after, without you even realizing it, you are accelerating high enough as if you were flying.

As I previously said, I like small manageable steps. On the other hand, some people, choose to start big and take a leap of faith. This is also fine. What matters is that it needs to make you comfortable to start doing it right away. You cannot build flywheel momentum to create a sustainable habit if the process of doing the habit itself discomforts you.

In conclusion, self-improvement is something that we do throughout our life; it never ends. However, it does not come in big chunks, it comes in small bite-sized pieces that we upgrade little by little each day we live. Setting our minds, providing easy access to the newly built habit, and making daily minor improvements are some of the ways we can keep up with our self-improvement. Furthermore, once we start, never lose a day to build up momentum. Try putting a daily habit tracker in your planner, so you can have a tangible reminder to put the new habit into action no matter what 📖✍️

I hope this helps💕 What other way do you think can be done to achieve self-improvement? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

References:

Abdaal, A. (2019, September 8). The Concept of a Flywheel: Why You Should Keep Going. Ali Abdaal. https://aliabdaal.com/flywheel/

‌Dweck (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Stanford University.