Self improvement tips- personal development HOW TO
So you decided to give it a go, find your better self and improve your life. That’s all good but many of you will ask- how to? What are the steps? How to achieve personal growth? Lets look at self improvement tips- personal development HOW TO. In this post I would like to discuss some things you will need to consider. Let’s think about personal growth strategy.
I was thinking about it another day and decided I’m going to write down what I think are the most important steps in building a better you.
My top 7 tips of effective personal development plan
- Set your goals
I talked about goals in my previous post. They are extremely important!
Goal gives you a direction, an aim, the way you want to follow. This is the first and really important step. Without knowing what you want you cannot get there!!!
Think about what you really want and make it your goal. Write down your goals on a piece of paper, carry it with you (e.g.in your wallet or phone case). Re-read them often to have something to work towards every day, something that motivates you.
- Commit and take action
A goal without an action is only a wishful thinking, nothing else! Commit to your goals and take necessary action to achieve them! Every step, even a very small one, is a step toward your goal, brings you closer to your prize.
A success is anyone who is pursuing deliberately a predetermined goal, because that’s what he or she decided to do … deliberately.
Earl Nightingale from “The Strangest Secret”
- Prioritize and get organized
Don’t waste your time! If you don’t make your goal your priority than you will straggle to achieve it. So often we waste time on finding excuses why we cannot do something instead of actually doing it. Assess your excuses! Be honest with yourself and prioritize your actions! Get organized and make a plan of action. Do a clean up of your ideas- choose the ones you want to pursue. Make sure you don’t have too much on your plate, otherwise it becomes overwhelming and it’s a better chance you will give up.
- Control your thoughts
Remember that we become what we think about. Check my previous post. Our thoughts become our reality. We attract what we think about all the time. If you focus on your limitations, luck of money or job you don’t like, you will not go too far with your success. Choose consciously your thoughts! Make them positive. Do not put too much energy to negative, limiting thought. By giving energy to your positive dominant thoughts you partly choosing your destiny. Remember that only you can control what you think and what feelings you associate with it.
If you don’t like something- change it. If you cannot change it- change the way you think about it, your feelings that go with it. Find some positive aspects of it and stress on them. You are in control of your thought!
- Be grateful, give and receive
Be grateful for every good thing in your life! Be grateful for your loved ones, your health and the fact that you chose to improve yourself. Gratitude is a great feeling that brings lots of positive energy!
Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.- Eckhart Tolle “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”
Remember that giving and receiving is like yin/yang energy, needs to be in balance. There is no receiving without giving and vice versa. Before you expect to receive, give from yourself. It doesn’t only mean giving money. Give your advice, your empathy, good wishes, your help and you will be surprised how much you will receive in return.
- Do your research, read a lot
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel- there is plenty of information out there. There were lots of people in your situation before and you can learn from them. Philosophers, life coaches, personal-growth teachers, self-improvement courses- lots to choose from.
The cheapest and probably the most enjoyable way is reading personal development books. There is so much information in them! I’m sure you will find the one (or more), which will trigger something in you, show you the way. Sometimes it’s a matter of finding the author which way of writing gets to your soul. It could be that you know the info/message before but the person formulated it the way that really gets you, keeps you interested and motivated. There is something for everybody there, you just need to find it- so do your research. I just need to warn you- you will get addicted, but it is a good addiction:) Reading is addictive 🙂
Actor Emma Watson is a latest celebrity who brings attention to personal development and reading. Just this month she announced she is taking a year from acting to focus on her personal development. She decided to read one book a week for a year. In her own words ” I’m reading a lot this year, and I want to do a lot of listening. (…) I’m reading so much and exposing myself to so many new ideas. It almost feels like the chemistry and the structure of my brain is changing so rapidly sometimes. (…) My work that I do for the UN is all very clearly outlined, but my personal views and opinions are still being defined, really. So it’ll be an interesting time.”
- Surround yourself with like-minded people
Try to associate only with positive, like-minded people. Spend most of your time with friends that make you feel loved, respected and motivated. Negative people can only drag you down.
Share your ideas with people of like-mind and get motivated by their encouragements and experiences.
Israelmore Avivor, “Shaping the dream”
That would be my summary of best tips on self-development.
There is only one more thing and it is very important.
Don’t forget to enjoy your personal development journey!!!
It is not really the thing you get at the end that matters the most but what you learn on the way and who you become!!!
It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ernest Hemingway
Please let me know how you liked my tips. Leave me a comment or describe your ideas of best tips for personal development. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email to elektra@booksforthewise.com
Thanks for visiting my website!
These are great points… I find that being organized and creating a plan of action works well for me. Knowing what your next step is going to be helps to keep you on track towards your goal. There are enough distractions out there already… better to be prepared from the beginning. Set yourself up for success.
Thanks for your comment Elizabeth! Having a plan helps me too- it always good to know where I’m going and what is my next step.
Hello Elektra,
Thank you very much for the information you provide here. You are truly inspiring and in tune with personal development and growth! I look forward to reading more from you and have bookmarked your site for future reference!
Melanie
Hi Melanie, thanks for your kind comment! I hope I will see you around again 🙂
I agree with your line of thinking that the best way to improve yourself is to first see the new you. Visualize this new you, begin to walk the walk and talk the talk. Do this every morning when you awake and again before you sleep. Your development will start to take shape and soon you will be transformed. I have bookmarked your site for more inspiration. Thank you!
Hi Ken, appreciate your comment!I’m glad you liked my self development tips 🙂
Great! I have to bow to your article! It is perfect and is all that one needs in life. I would add that sometimes we define ourselves too much by our past failures. And you are not that person anymore, you are the one that learned from those mistakes and now you are better.
Hi Constantin, many thanks for your kind comment! I agree with you- our past failures cannot control our life- I always treat them as lessons and as long as I don’t repeat the same mistakes, it means that I learned something 🙂
The information you listed is something I try to do on a daily basis. I find myself more happy and in control. Very good information and very true lessons on life. Great job!
Thanks Matt’s Mom!
Great information and very good advice. I follow most of this advice on a daily basis and find myself more happy and more in control of myself as a person. Everyone learns from their mistakes, if they don’t, they need to take a step back and find out how to change. You did a great job!
Thanks for your comment! That’s right- everyone should learn from their mistakes! I just published the post on failures and why you should celebrate them, check it out here.
Hey, Elektra!
I love this post! I love reading a blog that provides such great information and specific steps to take. I am also on a self-development journey and I do agree with all that you have mentioned above. Some of the tips are easier to conquer than the others. I have the most difficulty with taking action 🙂 I always feel I need to educate myself more to take that next step which I already know in theory. I know it is a work in progress, the one that never ends and I am trying to enjoy my ups and down along the way.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Reelika, thanks for your comment! It is always little challenging to start the action, don’t wait for the right moment when you know everything 🙂 It will never happen, learning is an ongoing process and the more you try (and fail sometimes) the better you get. Enjoy the journey! 🙂