Self-improvement is the term used by various people in different areas of life. But what is the meaning of it? That has a very vague understanding. Most of us think personality development or communication skill is self-improvement but it is something more.
It can be different for a different person. This can’t be restricted to personality improvement only. It is variable by nature. Some people may need communication skill improvement while others may need singing skills.
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
Self-improvement changes for everyone at different times. Suppose you want to improve your writing skill. So after attaining this skill you may work on acquiring singing skills. So you have two factors for self-improvement during say 3 months only.
Most of us search to achieve different targets in life, but we don’t know how to achieve them. They may think about self-improvement for achieving those targets but unfortunately, they are unable to even start in the right direction. It is difficult to think about how to achieve the right direction for the achievement of success.
So in the absence of clarity, they try different ideas which may not give them success. After a lot of effort, they got succeed in life.
Although using different ideas will certainly improve their knowledge and experience. This will improve their confidence and ability in life but it will require some time. So to avoid wasting time we must have a clear idea about self-improvement so that we can channelise our energy in the right direction. This will save us a lot of time which we can utilize for other activities.
As we have already discussed the idea of self-improvement is very vague. Most of us think that getting a good job, good love life, and a better living standard is sufficient to live a happy and contented life. But after some time, they realize the meaning of true happiness in life. So they look for self-improvement.
Self-improvement is a continuous process and is required by all at certain stages of life. It provides us with a lot of opportunities for our well-being. Some of us think we can have happiness by purchasing different items but happiness is something different from worldly possessions.
They spend very less time thinking about what they actually want in life and don’t believe the fact that happiness is all they want. So it is very necessary to make them understand true happiness and peace of mind in life. Our ultimate goal in life is to attain happiness and peace of mind. But we are misguided by the endless interruption by various disturbing sources like TV, social media and society etc.
So to make us aware we have to limit our TV and social media uses. We need to be rational when taking any decision. Don’t take any decision based on some societal influence. Take decisions based on your need and capacity rather than society.
So why self-improvement is important?
Throughout our lives, we learn a lot of things from childhood. We face different circumstances and grow and develop constantly. Learning is conscious and sub-conscious. We learn a larger part as sub-conscious learning. Sub-conscious learning happens regularly even if we don’t pay any attention.
Sub-conscious learning develops our habits and nature like how we respond in certain conditions etc. So the things that are in our habits require a lot of effort to change.
This is the challenge when we think of self-improvement.
Techniques of Self-Improvement
There can be several techniques for self-improvement, but some of them are based on any kind of self-improvement. So I have listed some well-tested techniques for self-improvement.
- Objective
- purpose
- Get clarity
- Resources
- Set smaller goals
- Time Management
- Take Action
- Evaluation
- Celebration
1. Objective
The first requirement of anything is the objective, what you are trying to achieve in life. Our objective should be clear and achievable. It should be decided on the basis of your requirement. Once you decide on your objective you have a clear idea of what you need to do. So take your time to define your objective, it is the most important factor of self-improvement.
The clear objective means your work is half complete and you have to think of another half only. It shows us how and where we need to invest our energy and time in order to get success.
2. Purpose
The purpose is equally important for the success of your project. It should be based on your requirement. The purpose is a kind of noble thing and should not be adopted out of some negative emotions or jealousy. Purity of purpose gives you positive energy for the achievement of your target.
Our purpose in life should be clear and achievable. It gives us a kind of direction for proper utilization of available resources. It improves our efficiency and quality of work. So make a clearer and pure purpose in life. It will definitely give you success.
3. Get clarity
A clear understanding of our target is very much necessary for successful execution. The more clarity we have the more concrete action we will take. Clarity of purpose gives a certain direction in where we need to channel our energy and resources. The clearer purpose will definitely enhance the chances of our success.
Most people lack clarity in life, and what they want to do. In that case, they are unable to achieve desired success in life. But once they have the clarity they know what and how to do to achieve success in life.
4. Resources
As we know resources are limited so we have to use it judiciously and efficiently. So in order to do that we must have knowledge about how and in what quantity it should be used. Therefore proper management of resources is necessary for achieving success in life.
The resources should be evaluated in the starting phase of any project. Lack of resources can lead to delay and chances of failure. It is the resources that do the job of any self-improvement, like if you want to improve your musical skill then you must have some instruments of your choice. So the significance of resources can’t be ignored.
5. Set Smaller goals
We must set some smaller goals along with the time frame for its completion. The smaller goals give us a clear idea about progress in the proper direction. This will also tell us if we are following the proper strategy or not. So based on the result of this smaller goal we can make certain changes in the strategy if required. Therefore don’t ignore the value of smaller goals.
6. Time Management
Time management is the most important aspect of our life. Those who are good at managing time can do anything in life. It is key to achieving the target in time. Mismanagement of time can lead to some serious problems in achieving success in life, like delay, overuse of resources, quality of work etc.
It is the most important resource in our life and it is limited. So it should be used judiciously and efficiently. The best way to use it is to make a time-based plan and monitor it continuously. Try to complete the task in the defined time frame.
7. Take Action
Action should be taken in time after we have set all the above-mentioned parts. Success depends on the actions we take in our daily lives. It is the most important part of human life. All the planning and schedules have no sense without proper action. So take all the required action and move toward your target to achieve success.
8. Evaluation
The evaluation gives us an idea about what needs to be improved. It is the last step of any self-improvement journey. Check if you have succeeded in your target for self-improvement. Make necessary changes after the evaluation process. Again evaluate and check if any action is needed. So by repeating it we can have a well improved version of ourselves.
9. Celebration
Once you achieve your target don’t forget to celebrate your victory. The celebration gives us the motivation to take on more challenges in life. So don’t ignore the importance of celebration.
In this way, we can have self-improvement in any part of our life. We must search for self-improvement in ourselves.
It is a continuous process and we should not stop it at any point in our life. Remember self-improvement starts from the womb and ends at the tomb. So believe in yourself and improve yourself always.
All the best!!!
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