Today’s society values success, freedom, and happiness. We all want those things, and most of the time, we sacrifice our time and energy to get them.
But what if we could start to become better people so that success, freedom, and happiness become natural aspects of our lives?
According to Psychology Today, “In psychology, self-development is the process of helping yourself grow as a person. It may involve learning new skills, becoming more self-aware, conquering fears, or working to improve relationships. Self-development is about becoming the best version of yourself through learning, practicing, and honing skills that increase your personal effectiveness.”
There are countless times when we find ourselves stuck in a rut. We begin to think that life will always be this way. We keep ourselves small, fearing change and afraid of being different. We end up with limiting beliefs that hinder our progress. We say, “I will never be good at that,” or “I am not smart enough.” We end up telling ourselves that we will be like this forever, but we never decide to change.
As the new year begins, many of us are looking for a fresh start. Perhaps we resolve to eat better, exercise more, drop a bad habit, or become better parents. Some might have more unique goals. Young people may want to buy their first home. Older folks may want to finally go for cosmetic procedures such as Morpheus8 or dermal fillers to get back their youthful glow. No matter the goal, change is never easy, and people often have a challenging time breaking a bad habit. Setting goals is a great start, but it takes a lot more than that actually to become who we want to be.
We all have room for improvement, and the new year is the perfect time to work on being the best version of ourselves. Personal development is important for everyone, not just professionals. Everybody can benefit from personal growth and self-improvement.
Each of us has stuff that works on our inner, better selves and stuff that only makes us worse. And unfortunately, some pieces of the latter are almost impossible to get past, like family members. But we can become better versions of ourselves by learning to forgive and let go.
Life can get really busy, and it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind. While it can be easy to get comfortable and forget to think things through, it is important to stop and reflect occasionally.
Reflection is a way to take a step back and ask ourselves, “what are my goals?” “Who do I want to be?” and “what do I want my life to look like?” Reflection is a necessary life skill for everyone.
Life is a learning experience, and through becoming better versions of ourselves, we can not only teach others, but we can teach ourselves. With so many resources available, and so many entrepreneurs that are looking to mentor and help others, it is easier than ever to shed the old skin and evolve into the new and improved self.
Whether we are trying to become a better version of ourselves by losing 10 to 50 pounds, we cannot do it alone. To find motivation and support, people need to seek out friends and family members who want to help. They can help hold us accountable for our goals and help us stay on track.
Having that desire to be a better version of ourselves is a good first step, and an important part of that journey is learning to be comfortable with who we are and our limitations, we should not see bettering ourselves as changing who we are at our core, but just elevating what we have the potential to be so we can feel good about the people we are.
Our life is shaped by our choices and our story, so it is important to make these choices consciously. As adults who have walked the path of life, we have the chance to help young people who may be just starting to choose the path they want to take.
When we find success, it is essential that we celebrate it, and do not let our achievements go to our heads. It is important to remember that becoming a better person is an ongoing process and that making mistakes, making bad choices, and recovering from them are all part of that process.