Summary:
What is self-improvement? Self-development and self-growth, building self-esteem, increasing confidence, self-development skills and much more.
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” – Bill Gates
Since childhood, we have been bogged down by expectations to be the best in everything that we do. Ace our exams, focus on getting good grades, or excel in academics. This need keeps sitting on our shoulders during college and even at work. But if all we do is to get good marks or complete projects, when and how exactly are we going to improve the real ‘I’ within us? Academic courses might get us a job with good pay, but it isn’t wise to achieve the success that we are only able to maintain under undue stress.
In other words, even if students endeavor to succeed, the journey and the destination might not be satisfying if they don’t make an effort toward things like personal development and self-improvement. In our hectic materialistic life of running after benefits, we tend to easily lose the importance of self-improvement.
Chances are we either brush our shortcomings under the carpet or simply abide by “ignorance is bliss”. In any case, the weaknesses persist and it is something we cannot outrun. Well, one can run away from one’s deficiency and for example, become a persistent tidsoptimist. However, by not trying to stop the habit and improve, one is only sinking further into the pit of lack of opportunity.
This in turn will eventually surface unresolved emotions and even hate towards self or others. However, if a student were to correct his course through little, consistent acts of improvement, he could quickly vanquish the demon of late and change into a person in charge of all of his affairs.
Laziness haunts us all but so does the want to “do better”. However, students shouldn’t use dishonest means to try to advance themselves. Yes, it may be easy, but goals achieved through deception are only essentially deceiving ourselves and sooner or later, we’ll find ourselves in a pit of our stupidity.
While doing so, remember that if you as students succeed in your goals through self-improvement, your accomplishment and the work you put into bettering yourself will both be long-lasting. What comes easy goes easy, but by pursuing self-improvement we can achieve progress and happiness that stands on strong, unshakable foundations.
Self-improvement is not a one-time, single activity but rather a path where you keep coming across different features of your life that you can improve. It is a lifelong journey built upon a newer, stronger, improved version of yourself. By choosing self-improvement, a person with stage fright can in time, end up becoming a motivational speaker.
Life is a lesson that never has been completely learnt. As long as one exists, life’s teaching them a lesson. Similarly, self-improvement also never ends for there is no limit to what extent an individual can improve oneself.
Tips for Self-Improvement
Here are some of the little ways you can start self-improvement and find the better ‘I’ in ‘Me’.
1. Start Reading
Read a book every day. Or at least, read a random article on Wikipedia. This will eventually expand your wisdom. It is not just that you’ll learn new topics, but you’ll also improve your vocabulary. Self-development comes in the form of these baby steps that you consciously take one at a time.
2. Get a Hobby or Start a New One
Hobbies are a way to relax and can also get you some new friends. In addition, attempting something new could reveal your innate talent to your students. Hobbies clear your head and most importantly incline you towards the path of self-growth, building self-esteem and increasing confidence.
3. Level up Your Skills
Chances are you know how to use MS Word. But do you know the software inside out? You can improve this skill, by trying to learn all the features of the software which will surely come in handy professionally or otherwise.
Or you can learn MS Excel which is typically a basic requirement in the retail industry worldwide. Knowing more software is always advantageous, whether or not you as a student want to work in that field. Skill development is always a very important milestone in the acquisition of self-development skills.
4. Get out of that Comfort Zone
This cannot be stressed enough. We haven’t lived our lives until we’ve ventured out of our control freak comfort zone. It can be as simple as watching a movie from that genre you always avoid. Self-improvement definitely begins here, when one gets out of their comfort zone!
5. Identify Your Weakness
Find your areas of weakness as a student, then strengthen them. Identification and subsequent solution-finding is the key to self-improvement. Go to bed early and wake up early as well. Stop that addiction to social media or the counterproductive smartphone. Don’t like differentiation? Learn Vedic mathematics.
6. Quit Bad Habits
Quit bad habits for at the end of the day, they are just extra baggage. Granting good or bad is a personal perspective, there is not one good thing that comes from smoking a cigarette. It is pure stupidity. Be a better, improved version of yourself!
