Putting the “Self” Back in Self-Improvement

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

Self-improvement is an individual experience. It's in the name of "self"-improvement. Self-improvement is supposed to be for your own benefit. Not for someone else. It’s a journey you take to improve your skills and character traits. This journey is your own.

Therefore, your self-improvement journey may not look the same as everyone else's. And it shouldn't be, either.

Most people end up following the same path prescribed by their favorite gurus. They never venture off this path to see what else they could be doing. This is a big mistake. Not venturing off the beaten path is limiting you. You don’t get to experience everything self-improvement can do for you.

Don't you want to experience everything self-improvement has to offer?

If you’re hungry to learn more about unconventional and secret strategies to improve yourself, then you’re in the right place. I write about the many different ways you can pursue becoming your best self. Self-improvement isn’t just going to the gym, meditating, and reading mindset quotes on social media. 

Generic advice isn’t the best for your needs

The paths laid out by self-improvement gurus and creators are starting points. These paths are generic. They are good if you don't know what to work on. If you’re just starting your self-improvement journey, then having some direction is better than having no direction. And this generic advice can provide a foundation that you can build upon as you learn more about how to pursue self-improvement.

But the guru’s generic advice isn’t beneficial if you know what you want to improve. If you know what you want to work on, then you’ll know you need to seek out more information and ideas.

Your self-improvement journey should be tailored to your needs and goals. Not what a guru tells you to do. There's a lot more to self-improvement than what most gurus teach you.

You need to find what works best for you. And determine what will help you reach your specific goals.

There are many different ways to accomplish the same self-improvement goals. For example, if you hate meditation but you want to clear your mind still, try journaling, breathwork, or walking.

Experiment with your self-improvement plan if it's not working for you. Or experiment if you find the guru's plan you’re following to be too rigid or boring for you.

How to put the “self” back into self-improvement

You need to explore to put the "self" back into self-improvement. Find your own path.

Pursue self-improvement to fulfill your needs and achieve your goals. Don't do self-improvement activities just because someone told you to do them.

Seek out information that’ll help you achieve your individual needs. Find self-improvement strategies that work best for your lifestyle, personality, and goals. You may need to do a significant amount of experimenting. But that’s ok. It takes time to find optimal strategies.

Try new strategies. Give them some time before giving up on them. Sometimes results take a while to appear. Be patient.

Good luck on your journey!