The term self improvement is a bit misleading and is sometimes erroneously interrupted. What do you really improve? You don’t improve your “self” and you don’t improve your “spirit”. You learn to develop certain skills that can help you go through life. You learn to look at things from a different, broader viewpoint, and you learn to forego limiting thoughts and habits.
You don’t improve something that does not exist in you. You improve and develop some skills that are already in you, but are weak, in a dormant state, or negatively expressed.
Self improvement is actually not “Improving yourself”, so much as changing your point of view, changing the way you look at yourself and the world, and strengthening and developing certain skills.
Self improvement is about developing:
- Stronger willpower.
- Better self discipline.
- Better concentration.
- Some degree of emotional and mental detachment.
- More patience.
- More tolerance.
- Getting rid of negative or weakening habits and developing new ones.
- Learning to think more positively.
- Learning to be more kind and loving.
This is a partial list of the aims of self improvement.
Improvement requires work
The important point to remember is that everything worthwhile in life needs some effort and time to gain. There is no instant improvement or development of any skill. There are books and programs that promise immediate success, and there are many who buy them, thinking that these books or programs will immediately change their life. People expect and look for some kind of a miracle to change their life instantly, and often get disappointed when this does not happen.
There are many you buy books, but never read them. Some start practicing a certain technique or program and then stop after a short while. In order to get results from self improvement books, programs and techniques you need to practice day after day. You have to study, work and train yourself the same way if you wanted to be a doctor, a pilot, an engineer or an Olympic athlete. This is something most people won’t do, because they consider it too much work.
Some might ask, “Will my life improve, if I practice some “self improvement” techniques?” Anything you do to develop positive habits and skills will help you handle your life and circumstances in a better and more successful way.
Sometimes, when people finally decide to be more practical then just reading a book and expecting miracles, they find that there are obstacles on their path, and if they don’t posses enough inner strength, they might drop the whole idea.
When starting anything new, one often becomes more aware of problems and obstacles. They are not new. They were there all the time, but because you want to make changes you become more aware of them. Don’t let them daunt your spirit. If you continue, they will get weaker in time, and you will be able to ignore them and overcome them.
Will Power and Self Discipline
Develop your inner strength, willpower and self discipline, with simple, but powerful exercises you can practice at any time and place. Willpower and self discipline are two of the primary pillars of strength that lead to success in any area of life. They endow their possessor with inner stamina, perseverance, patience and courage.
To take advantage of the techniques in this book, you need to practice the exercises, not just read them. Most of the exercises do not require any special times to set apart for them, neither require any special conditions. You can practice them at home, at work, and anywhere else.
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July 15th, 2008 at 6:35 am
I couldn’t agree with you more, Remez. That’s why when I created one of my ebooks (not yet available for sale), I very carefully chose the title “The Self Empowerment Guidebook.”
Viewing it as empowerment rather than improvement brings to focus all of the things you talk about… to really see our authentic self and realize the power we already have within.
We can’t improve upon perfection, but we can empower ourselves to see it, become it, and express it!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:52 am
The secret to self improvement is positive attitude. No one can achieve improvement to their lives if they are clouded by negative perspective of life or to themselves. This negative thoughts could be inferiority, ones weakness or the feeling of being neglected. That is why I second to Chris that empowerment to oneself is essential in achieving self improvement.
Best Regards,
Jan