With all of the craziness going on in this world, we need to focus on the one thing that we ourselves can really change; ourselves. Self-improvement is an ongoing effort, in business, personal relationships, your home and so much more. Like self-care, the notion of what it actually is varies from one individual to another. While self-care seems to be categorized as facials, nails, and naps, self-improvement is a loftier task in my opinion.
Self-improvement to me is similar to goal setting. I consistently seek advancement in my life, often to my own frustration due to a lack of patience. Whether it be excelling at work, growing my family, growing my blog, and improving my health and fitness.
Like many of you, I started this year determined to make it better than ever before. After 2020 and quite a few obstacles along the way, I didn’t want to sit in the same mental space as I spent much of the last half of last year. Instead, I’m determined to make this year one of soul searching and self-improvement.
Below I’m sharing some of the ways that I have either in the past found to work well for me, or is something new I’m incorporating this year to provide a little bit of introspection and fulfillment.
Move your body
Working out is something I love to do, but more so for the mental health benefits, it provides me rather than simply physical fitness. I tend to bottle up my anxiety and emotions, and running and exercising are the only things that truly help me to alleviate stress. I also find that when I’m physically fit, I’m more motivated in other aspects of my life as well.
Exercise your mind
Mental fitness comes with physical fitness for me to a certain degree, but there are so many other things we can be doing to maintain mental fitness. Reading books, detoxing from social media, getting outside, and working on a home or DIY projects help me to maintain mental clarity. What works for you may be entirely what works for me. I suggest making a bucket list of sorts including things you want to work on immediately that you have been putting off. For example, my current list includes things like taking a cooking class, taking an online Greek course, and reading a minimum of one book per month. When I stick to this list, I find I enjoy some things more than others, but you then know where to invest your time and energy rather than wasting it on the internet or spending it with other people. This is your YOU time, so how do you want to spend it?
Downward Dog
There have been times in my life over the past few years in which I felt as if I were more mentally and physically aligned than in other instances. Consistent Yoga practice is always at the center of it all. When I practice yoga consistently, I feel more calm, centered, and relaxed overall than I usually do. I, unfortunately, stopped attending a couple of years back when I joined Orange Theory to trade it for more cardio, but while running helps nothing makes me feel as great and sharp as when I practice Yoga.
Pick up a good book
Reading something positive, interesting, or constructive is great for both your mind and your soul. I usually love self-help books, and books that tend to keep me motivated or something I can take a few tidbits away from. If I read fiction, I love mysteries. More often than not though, I start 5 different self-help books and get halfway through then go back to finish them. Most recently, I read The Alchemist. I’m working on finishing 52 Ways to Live a Kickass Life, then plan to FINALLY read Everything is Fu$ked by Mark Manson. If you haven’t read the prequel The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, you should grab that one first.
Write down your goals
Whether small or large goals, I have to write them down to accomplish them. I make tons of to-do lists in the notes section of my phone. For EVERYTHING! To- do around the house, errands, bills, blog, you name it, and there’s a to do list with the same title. More recently, I started writing down my top 6 tasks that I HAVE to accomplish THAT day. I often have a running list, but sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming. By breaking it down into 6 things, I know that if those are complete in a good place. Sometimes I even knock out more just because I’m on a roll.
Leading a happy life doesn’t mean that we will always be happy. Happiness is something we all strive for, but if you’re like me you will sometimes forget to stop and realize that you don’t have to always strive. Sometimes you’re already there. You just have to work at it daily to keep it.
I hope this helps you to find a little more happiness in your day to day. I’d love to hear what helps you feel happy, aligned and fulfilled. Share your tips with me below!
