Self-improvement is an admirable but difficult thing to pursue. While there are plenty of benchmarks to pass by on the way to improving yourself, we feel that taking baby steps can lead to a slow but ongoing path to a better self. Provided below are 7 such baby steps that can lead to great things.
Assume the Best
No human is a mind reader, meaning you will never get an idea behind another person’s reasoning for why they do the things they do. Assuming that every person’s actions are being done with negative or evil intent will do nothing but add extra stress and misery to your life. By taking everything in stride as something done with nothing but the best of intentions, you are going to be more mentally open to reconciling with negative results and reach out to people who seem troubled.
Work On Your Breathing
Taking deep breaths is certainly known for helping to calm down hot tempers but it has other benefits. Taking deeper breaths gets more oxygen into the bloodstream; more oxygen in the bloodstream means more oxygen can reach organs like the brain, which need that oxygenated blood to remain in top condition.
Reinterpret Failure As a Failure to Act
No matter how many goals you have in mind or how many milestones you have set for yourself, it is important to remember that you have nothing in control except for how you choose to act. By reclassifying your failures as the result of inaction, you can better interpret your failures, and even your successes, as something that you had a direct hand in earning.
Stop Trying for a Perfect Record at Arguing
Before you get into an argument, think for a moment about what you plan to achieve. We all know that you feel amazing when you win an argument, but engaging in an argument just for the sake of that dopamine hit from being “right” achieves very little in the grand scheme. Whenever you engage in an argument, your goal should be to consider what happens next, for yourself and for the other people involved in the discussion.
End Each Day With Something to be Thankful For
A good habit to develop is to give thanks before bed. Just keep a notepad by your nightstand or at your desk and think back to all you have done each day. No matter how small or grand the experience, be it loaning a friend money after their car is totaled and hearing their gratitude or overhearing a child’s laughter, jot those moments down. Whatever these moments may be, remember to cherish those moments because they may be things that you will never get to experience another time.
Accept Fear as a Signal to Pursue
Success comes from taking risks. While you can take some of the uncertainty and scariness out of the equation with some calculations, risks are built upon a foundation of fear. Instead of allowing your fears to keep you away from some course of action, recognize when you are feeling frightened, acknowledge that feeling, and push past it by engaging in that action. Another way of looking at this suggestion is by acknowledging that people are brave not because they are fearless but because they act despite their fears.
Stop Comparing Your Life to Others
Unless you are getting into the specifics of identical twins, every person starts life in a unique position. Even after we come into this world, circumstances and the course of our lives are going to vary wildly between different people. Just as nobody is a mind-reader, no person can see the future. This means that it is a huge waste of time to compare your way of life to another person. Besides, if you could see the future, would you really be interested in using that ability on your coworkers and complete strangers?
The Big Finish
Remaking yourself for the better is not a task that can be achieved overnight; it takes a foundation built upon hundreds of small steps and changes to make you a better person. Consider this helping of small life tips like acting despite fear, thinking before you argue with someone, and focusing on your path as some healthy starting points.
