What comes to mind when you hear the word self-improvement? How do you feel about personal development?
Some people roll their eyes as this is not something they care about or have time for.
Others are big fans of the self-help industry. Not so much of taking action to actually improve and change your life, but the books, seminars, courses, affirmations, gurus, blogs, video tutorials, retreats, or else.
And then, there are those who are never satisfied with their life and who they are but who keep pushing, keep setting new goals, trying to change for the better, and putting too much effort into doing things the way professionals say they must be done.
But in its essence, self-improvement is the journey of life. It’s a never-ending learning experience, which we can either enjoy and become better at, slowly over time, or which we can completely ignore and never live up to our potential.
There’s also the chance of doing it wrong – going after things you don’t really want, never stopping to enjoy the present because of the things you need to achieve, being overwhelmed and stressed out, etc.
We get self-improvement wrong.
Because if we did understand it, we would love every second of it and would accept it as a process, a necessity, a part of life.
You can always strive for more. Some say you should, others say that this doesn’t let you appreciate what you already have and live life here, in the present moment.
What’s the truth?
The truth lies in an old Buddhist saying: “You are already perfect as you are, yet you can always be better.”
And in the worlds of Gertrude Stein: “There’s no there there.”
Accepting what is, working on improving things and creating a lifestyle you savor, and expecting the best to happen, seems to be the most enjoyable way to live life. And the path to both success and happiness.
What’s the greatest thing about self-improvement?
That’s it doesn’t matter which stage of your life you’re at, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what you know or how high you aim.
As long as you accept your current place, yourself and your path, you’re okay.
What’s the greatest thing about self-improvement?
That there will always be room for improvement. Even if you’re at the bottom, you can get better. Even if you’re at the top, you can make more positive changes and aim higher.
That’s comforting. That’s liberating.
We can imagine some end goal or destination if we feel more motivated to take action this way, but once we get there, we still need to accept it, smile about the road taken, and keep moving forward.
Life is a combination of two attitudes:
- the zen way – accepting who you are, what is and what was, being present and knowing this is already perfect just the way it is;
- and the success-driven mindset – wanting to unleash more of your potential, to get better, to learn new things, to gain more experience, to achieve new goals.
Self-improvement makes you feel alive, while at the same time lets you feel the abundance around you and smile for what is.
If you haven’t already fallen in love with self-improvement, you’re missing out on a lot.
We’re all addicted to something, we’re all using something to fill the imaginary void inside.
The behavior we choose to do to find comfort can be good or bad.
And from what I’ve seen, self-improvement seems to be the best thing to get addicted to.
PS, this post was inspired by Mark Manson’s article You’re Okay
Read also: 12 Self-Improvement Tips You Should Follow