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Self improvement tips are not like fortune cookies, but yet here we are with a world full of ambitious women like you and I that try and pretend they are.
We get super excited when we hear one, make some audacious goals around it and spend approximately 137 seconds trying to manifest it into existence.
And then we circle back on Sunday morning and think to ourselves-what the heck?
Obviously that fortune was totally off because my life isn’t completely changed yet.
I mean, seriously I gave the universe the last 6 days of my life.
What a disappointment the universe is.
Well, I don’t know about you but I don’t want a fortune cookie to stand in between me and living my best life.
But how do you really get started with this whole personal development goals thing?
It’s actually pretty simple but I remember at the beginning of my own journey feeling completely overwhelmed by it all, but you don’t have to- I’ve already done that part for the both of us!
So, while there isn’t a freshly baked, delicious little post-Chinese take out dessert at the end of this post, I am going to give you something even better:
11 Simple self improvement tips you can actually start using today.
Ready to start building your very best life?
What Is Self Improvement?
While self improvement tips seem to be a huge part of today’s social media, it is important to understand that the definition of self improvement, according to the dictionary, is this:
“the improvement of one’s knowledge, status, or character by one’s own effort”.
You can actually be in control of your life.
You can be in control of improving your life.
“Work on yourself more than you do on your job”.
Jim Rohn
I’ve worked a lot at my career and I’m really proud of where it is but as soon as I started to set personal development goals and focus on self improvement, I not only grew even further in my career but I really started feeling less stressed, more fulfilled and you will too!
11 Self Improvement Tips All Beginners Need to Know
So, if self improvement is our ability to improve ourselves, my first tip is going to help you set the foundation of your entire personal development journey… its ok I can pause here so you can grab yourself a pen.
Ok, now that you have your pen and you are ready to dig in and start changing your life, the first super simple self improvement tip you need to know:
1.Surround Yourself With The Good Stuff
Podcasts, books and the right circle of friends is ESSENTIAL to your personal development goals.
I love podcasts personally because I find I get through them faster than a physical book (although I do miss the smell of book pages!) since I can listen to it to and from work. I can also sneak in a few extra minutes each day listening while doing laundry or the dishes.
Plan ahead and always have a few personal development podcasts downloaded on your phone and some headphones in your purse and you can take advantage of any ‘down time’ you run into throughout your day!
2.Protect Yourself
Your inner voice is what you hear the most.
It can literally MAKE OR BREAK you in life.
I recently heard a Navy Seal speaking about his first day of training (via a podcast, shocker!) and he said the best piece advice he ever got from his leader was on the first day of Seal training.
“you are about to embark on a battle that you can win, but it is going to be the single most difficult battle you will ever fight: your own thoughts, doubts and insecurities about your capabilities”.
Learning how to develop a growth mindset and practice gratitude are two methods I apply daily in an effort to keep my inner thoughts positive, encouraging and push all the limiting beliefs aside.
3. Develop a Strong Morning Routine
For the first few years of motherhood I was desperate to figure out how to get more time in my day.
Between working full time and small kiddos, I would have given a kidney for there to be a 25th and 26th hour of each day.
Turns out, I got to keep my kidney because out of pure desperation, I decided to give this whole “develop a strong morning routine” a try.
And it worked.
In fact, it worked so well that my husband started doing it and if I don’t follow my routine, I feel behind by 8am because I am so used to having an hour of pure, uninterrupted, soul filling productivity before the kids wake up now to spend on whatever it is that I want to (like write this post 😊).
4.Create Good Daily Habits
Successful daily habits are going to be the vehicle to get you to living out your best life.
Whether you want to run a 5k, get a promotion or figure out how to keep your house clean and stop being late for work, these 13 Daily Habits of Successful Women will help you develop the habits you need to get there.
5.Check In On Yourself
How often to you reflect on the progress of your life?
Are you where you wanted to be?
Where you said you would be?
Have you completely forgotten where your list of New Year’s resolutions are?
Well, I can tell you that you are not alone in that!
A major contributing factor is not having a simple process that allows you to check in with the most important person in your life, you.
I want you to grab your phone right now and put a reminder next Sunday to check in on yourself.
I’ve developed this 7 step Sunday routine that has allowed me to cut out the garbage in my life holding me back and given me clarity on the things that are most important, and it will for you too!
6.Express Gratitude
This tiny but oh so powerful self improvement tip will be a game changer for you when it comes to your mood.
There is a reason that Mrs. Rachel Hollis herself says that daily gratitude is her most highly recommend part of her own growth process!
To learn more about the power of daily gratitude and get a quick win with gratitude journal prompts, hop on over here and get started today!
7.Gain Clarity On Your Emotions
I am a firm believer that we should all be in control of our emotions, but let’s be real, doing so is a lot harder than it sounds!
Part of my own personal growth journey has been learning to take a step back and evaluate why I am feeling the way I am.
This has been especially helpful when things haven’t gone as planned or I’m in a stressful situation.
I contribute a big reason why I am able to achieve the personal development goals I set because of #7. It has allowed me to not fall into the old trap of justification, excuses and blame for not making the progress I was hoping and instead has placed it with clarity and accountability!
8. Say NO
Overcommitting is what you will find on the other side of a lot of negative feelings:
Stress, overwhelm and resentment just to name a few….
Anytime you give someone else an hour of a yes, you are taking away an hour of the time you have to spend how you want it.
This was a major factor in jump starting my own personal growth journey because I was doing all the things, saying yes to everyone and everything as a new mom and then resented the fact that motherhood was making me so busy.
Well, it wasn’t motherhood.
It was my own fault because I gave everyone else the last drop of me and had none left over for myself.
As soon as I started learning to say no if it didn’t really align with the goals for myself and my family, it was like a breath of fresh air.
Stress levels down, no more rushing back and forth.
Even the constant nagging feeling of being behind softened.
Learn to say no, you will thank yourself for it!
9.Establish Your Priorities
Done by themselves, yes #8 and #9 are helpful!
Done together, they are magical!
But seriously, don’t say no to the neighbor kids birthday party just because you want to watch mindless television on a Saturday.
Do say no if it takes up the one hour you had free to go to the gym, work on your side business or catch up on the book you have been reading.
Don’t complain about not having any time if you give it away to anyone that asks like a cheap call girl.
Set your priorities and love yourself enough to prioritize how you and your family spend your time, even if it means a few more ‘no thank you’ in your social calendar.
10.Serve Others
Giving people are the happiest people.
Seriously, selfish people are miserable.
I’m not saying you need to go on a mission for Doctors Without Boarders, but do start to think about how you can start including small acts of service every day:
- Write a special note and put it in your child’s lunch box.
- Do the dishes tonight so your spouse can rest a little more.
- Buy the coffee for the person behind you tomorrow.
- Leave a bigger tip than normal next time you go out.
- Write 3 personal notes just saying hi to friends you haven’t talked to in a while.
Pair this self improvement tip with daily gratitude and you will have developed an attitude that can truly move mountains!
11. Self Care
When you are busy serving everyone else, you are leaving little to no time or energy for yourself.
It should be no surprise to you why self care showed up on my beginners list of self improvement tips!
Start your new early morning routine (self improvement tip #3) with something you consider self care.
For me, it was building my relationship with God so I chose to spend time prayer journaling each morning before I did anything else.
This is super cliché but super important for you to hear:
There is a reason why flight attendants tell you to put on your mask before you help anyone else, including your children.
Make sure you are pouring into yourself so you can pour into those around you.
For more ideas, check out this list of self care for women!
Now What?
I want to make sure you know that achieving all of your personal development goals doesn’t happen over night!
It is through small, daily decisions to use these self improvement tips and habit changes that are going to help you get to where you want to go!
Take one item off the list and put it into action first.
You can start with the thing you thing you need to work on the most or start with the easiest thing. The most important part of picking is that you pick something and START.
Then, rinse and repeat!
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