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Self-improvement and personal growth are big but vague words. They can mean everything and nothing all at once.
We Felicity Seekers are hungry to grow into our best version. And we know that self-improvement is the key for that.
But what are some concrete self-improvement ideas we can work on? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
This list will enable you to jumpstart your personal growth journey in no time!
Enjoy!
1. Start listing things you are grateful for
We start this list with a straightforward but unfortunately very overlooked practice. I want you to start a gratitude journal or list.
And preferably write it down by hand although it can also be an excellent practice to have a notes section on your phone dedicated to it so that you can remember things you are grateful for throughout the day.
Every morning I want you to write down three things you are grateful about. And try not to write the same three things every day.
These can be little things such as “I am grateful I fell asleep so fast yesterday.” Or important things like “I am unbelievably grateful for getting that job!”
Starting your day like this will make it easier for you to be happier throughout the day and let “bad” things bother you less.
2. Read daily
I always preach the importance of nonfiction books for your personal growth.
Which is why I have created my Reading List for Personal Growth. This is where I list all my favorite nonfiction books that made me grow into a better version.
However, for some reason, people always have the excuse that they can’t find the time to read. That’s – to say it bluntly – bullshit!
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. And some of the most successful people on our planet, who definitely have a ton of things to do every day, find the time to read daily.
I am not saying you need to start reading 2 hours a day, although that would be great! Simply start by reading 15 to 30 minutes in the morning before you go to school or work.
I can almost guarantee that somewhere along your day you are mindlessly wasting these 15 to 30 minutes. Most likely scrolling through your phone. So how about redirecting them into something that will bring you closer to that extraordinary life of your dreams?
If you want to do that check out my Reading List!
3. Learn a new language
Admittedly, being able to speak different languages will be a skill that will become more and more unnecessary with developing translation technologies.
But I still believe it can benefit you immensely in your personal growth journey if you learn to speak different languages.
It’s not only lovely to speak the language of a foreign country you are visiting, but it can also help you network with different people, and it can change the way you look at different countries and cultures.
At the very least, it is a fun practice to keep your brain sharp and fit.
4. Learn a new skill
You will never be able to have too many skills in life. And there is an endless list of skills you could learn. Everything from drawing, cooking, calligraphy to driving, changing tires, and programming.
And the great thing about living in 2019 is that you also have a lot of options on how to learn those skills. You could find yourself a mentor, start doing it as a hobby, purchase an online course, or teach yourself through YouTube videos.
Life is more fun if you approach it as a never-ending journey of learning. So, what skills do you want to learn this year?
You could commit to learning one new skill every three or six months. Maybe even every month, if you are really ambitious and have the time to do so.
In a few years, you might be surprised where this skill could come in handy.
5. Get outside your comfort zone once a month/week
Our comfort zone is just that … comfy. And who likes to leave something comfortable behind for something less comfortable?
However, real growth always awaits us outside of our comfort zone. So we Felicity Seekers have to get out there.
Now how can we make it as easy as possible for us? Only by doing it regularly. It’s like a muscle. The more we do it, the easier it gets.
So try to challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone maybe once a month or once a week. Do something you feel uncomfortable doing, but you know it would benefit you in the long term.
6. Find a mentor
I know this can be a daunting task and also a significant financial step, and so far, I admit I have not yet made it myself.
But wherever I look, all the successful people I am looking up to say you need to get yourself a mentor. The value he or she will provide you with is immeasurable.
7. Exercise regularly
It’s the 21st century. By now we all know we should excerzise regularly. Yet many people still can’t bring themselves to do it.
You don’t even have to go to the gym, just do some none equipment workout videos from home. I also don´t have much space at home but still manage to do it. There are even apartment-friendly workouts so that you won’t disturb any neighbors.
Blogilates and the Nike Training App are some personal favorites of mine. You can even do most Blogilates workouts without shoes. So there is absolutely no excuse left for you not to do it.
8. Improve your eating habits
I am currently working on trying to get rid of hormonal acne through celery juice. Let’s see how it goes, but it definitely already raised more awareness in me concerning the things that I eat and how they impact my body and how I feel.
Improving your eating habits does not only have an impact on your health for the long term; more importantly, it enhances the way you feel today!
9. Set goals
To achieve the most significant personal growth possible, you have to set clear goals. How else will you know what to work on?
And don’t just set unrealistic goals. They will only frustrate you. You should set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Meaning specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound
10. Find idols and study them
Another great way to improve yourself is by studying your heroes. Find a few people who you look up to in one or more areas in life.
And then analyze what exactly got them to where they are today and try to imitate that.
What are Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds doing to have such a happy marriage?
How did Jeff Bezos become the richest men in the world?
How does Ray Dalio achieve such incredible investment results for his clients?
11. Identify your flaws and create a plan to overcome them
We all have some things we don’t like about ourselves. Maybe you are always interrupting people unintentionally. Perhaps you are uncomfortable with your style. Maybe you want to get rid of your hormonal acne.
There are most likely always things that are bothering you about yourself. How about instead of merely complaining about them you decide to tackle them strategically.
12. Cultivate a new habit every month/quarter
It’s easy to procrastinate your self-improvement goals in the hustle of daily life.
Often we suddenly have a spark of inspiration and want to implement all these new and amazing habits into our lives. Only to fail spectacularly at them, because we tackled too much at once.
Instead, try to cultivate one new habit per month or every three months or so.
These can be simple things like brushing your teeth with your nondominant hand or meditating. No matter how small or big the habit, if you only focus on one habit at a time, it will almost effortlessly become a new part of your life.
13. Take a Social Media and Entertainment Detox
Most of us spend way too much time on social media or entertainment apps like Netflix and YouTube.
Have you ever looked at the tracker of your phone to see how much time you actually spend in the different apps? It’s probably a shocking amount.
Can you imagine what you ould be able to accomplish if half of that time went into your personal growth journey?
Taking a detox will rib you out of that bad habit, and you will get a glimpse at how much more time you suddenly have in a day.
The important thing, however, is that afterward, you don’t jump back to your old habits.
14. Start journaling
I am probably mentioning journaling in about every article I write. But that’s ok since I am absolutely sure everyone can benefit from it.
It doesn’t matter how often you do it or if you use prompts or not. Simply try to get into journaling. Maybe challenge yourself to journal once a day for two weeks and after that only as often as you feel will benefit you.
At the beginning of the year, I journaled daily. Sometimes even for two hours! And I can’t begin to tell you how much it helped me on my personal growth journey.
However, I am currently at a stage in my life where I don’t feel the need to journal every day. Now, I do it maybe once or twice a week. But it still makes me feel lighter and more motivated whenever I take the time to do it.
15. Start a side hustle
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to know everything before you can start a business.
You will never be perfectly prepared. In fact, the beauty of a business is that as it grows, you grow with it.
Take my blog, for example. It’s about striving for felicity, how to create the extraordinary life of your dreams full of success, passion, and financial freedom.
Do I have all of that yet? No. Definitely not. But every day that I am working on this blog, I am improving my business skills and my mindset, and I am getting closer and closer to that end goal.
16. Learn how to practice self-care
Self-care is one of these things that seem like some Instagram or Pinterest trend but is actually really important to implement into your life.
Self-care enables you to recharge and tackle life with more passion and motivation. It will not only help you achieve your goals faster but also enjoy the journey more.
17. Start bucket lists
And I am not talking about the cringy type of bucket lists. No, I am thinking about three kinds of lists: One for things you want to learn, fun things you want to purchase and investments you want to make.
Having these lists will not only help you decide on what to do with your time/money, but they will be an immense motivation to work towards your goals.
18. Set relationships goals
While striving for an extraordinary life, it is easy to forget spending time with your friends and family.
But an extraordinary life requires mastery of every area of life, also meaning your social and romantic life.
So try to set clear goals. Maybe call your family and friends once a week and meet up with them once a month.
You could also start a list of activities you could do together. That way, it always stays exciting, and you can make some fantastic memories.
Phew, that was a long list So many great ideas on how to improve yourself and grow into your best version. Isn’t that exciting!
Please don’t let this big list overwhelm you. Nobody is expecting you to start implementing all of these ideas at once.
Just take one after the other, and before you know it, you will look back at your old self and be staggered by your progress. I encourage you to really enjoy the process.
Personal growth can bring you immense joy and satisfaction if you don’t take it too seriously.
Just remember that if you are doing self-development at all, you are already far ahead of the vast majority of humans.
I am excited to hear about your progress! Comment down below if you want to share your successes with your fellow Felicity Seekers.
Sophie
