Make This Spring All About Self-Improvement

Every New Year, people all around the world come up with different resolutions that should improve their lifestyle. So, we make promises about spending more time with our family, being more productive at work, and improving our financial status. Around the Spring we usually realize that we forgot the main thing, the main goal – to improve ourselves – which is why this year, I’ve decided to work more on myself. If you would like to do the same and could use some inspiration to get you started, here are a couple of things I would suggest.

Put your needs first

It’s always nice when people go out of their way to help a person in need, but to improve ourselves, we need to start putting ourselves first. We need to think about how the decision we’re about to make is going to influence our own plans – whether it can help us achieve our goals or only drag us down.

Focusing on others before ourselves can also, unfortunately, make us miss too many opportunities that occur only once in a lifetime. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should become selfish and forget about our loved ones. We should simply first think about how a certain decision will affect us, and then decide on the right course of action.

Conquer your fears

I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance, but even just thinking about getting out of my comfort zone made me extremely nervous.

This year, however, I’ve decided to finally let go of my fears and sign up for hiking camps. Honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made – I never expected hiking will change my life so much. Every time I’ve managed to win a new peak of a climb, I started feeling much more confident about myself. Hiking in groups, and taking all good and bad of the day and of highs made me less anxious about meeting new people. Even camping gear became a new must on my spring list.

Therefore, my advice is not to be afraid of trying something new, and every once in a while, do something that scares you no matter whether it is something seemingly simple like swimming in the pool if you’re afraid of water or more serious like riding on a roller coaster.

The thing is, the more we get out of our comfort zones, the more comfortable we will be with our discomfort and eventually, there will be no fears to face.

Set your priorities straight

In order to see what we need to work on, we need to determine our goals and priorities. The way to do that is to ask ourselves what truly matters to us – is it our career, our family, or perhaps our love life?

The answer to that question should set the direction of both our short-term and long-term goals.

We all have flaws and while some of them might be harder to work on, there are always ways for us to change if we can admit that we need to do so.

For instance, besides go hiking, I’ve also decided to be more productive this year, so I know I should work on organizing my daily schedule, spending less time on social media, getting enough rest so I don’t feel drowsy during the day, etc.

The point is that becoming a better person implies understanding who we are, with all our virtues and flaws, accepting what can’t be changed, and improving what can be improved.

Find new ways of expressing yourself

In addition to helping me conquer my fear of stepping out of my comfort zone, dancing has also given me a new way to express myself in ways I could never do by using words. So, if you’re looking for new ways of expressing your feelings, showing off your creativity, or simply getting your message across, consider painting, drawing, singing, or any other form of art. Who knows, you might even find your hidden talent and turn it into a lucrative passion. Plus, it is a great way to relax and de-stress, and in this day and age, we all need that.

Have fun

Self-improvement can be a long and exhausting process, and while it is important to stay on track, it’s essential to include some fun in that process as well. Whether it is going out with friends, organizing a movie night, or booking a full-day spa treatment, we all need to unwind from time to time and recharge our batteries, so we can keep working on ourselves. Otherwise, we would quickly start feeling burnt out and all our efforts of self-improvement would be in vain, since motivation can quickly fade if there is only work and no rest.

Choosing ourselves over others can often be mistaken for selfishness. However, if people were to think more about their own needs, they would be able to work on the things that make them happy – which would make the world a much better place overall. Although it is true that everybody has a different idea of happiness, eventually it all comes down to becoming better – a better partner, parent, boss, or simply a better version of ourselves. Plus, just like laughter, happiness can be very contagious – if you are cheerful, confident, and satisfied with your own position in life, people around you will notice it and hopefully follow your example as well.