5 Self Improvement Tips for Taking Control of Your Life
17 October 2007Author: Gregg Gillies
Embarking on your own self improvement quest can be very difficult and frustrating. This is especially true in today’s society, where so many people are trying to tear down successful people out of their own jealousy and laziness.Sadly, some of our biggest obstacles on the road to self improvement and realizing our dreams are our friends and family. So how do you overcome these obstacles?
1) Treat Yourself Well
Doing the things necessary to improve yourself and your life is a lot easier when you feel good. Eating well, getting enough exercise and getting enough sleep are extremely important for developing the proper mindset and having enough energy to pursue your dreams.
2) Focus On the Good Things
This can be a tough one. We all have a tendency to think the grass is greener on the other side. As a fitness author, I know I have this tendency when it comes to my own training program.
Being naturally skinny, I get very frustrated with how difficult it is for me to build muscle, and I wish for the genetics of those that find it easy.
But in reality, I should be thrilled that I have the health to be able to pursue my workout routines with a vengeance and that’s what I need to focus my energies on.
3) Don’t Make Assumptions
Going back to what I said in the opening paragraph, this is what almost everyone does about successful people. Think about all the negative phrases you hear all the time with regards to money and rich people. And yet they aren’t true.
The vast majority of millionaires in this country are first generation millionaires and they’ve worked very hard to get where they are. It wasn’t handed to them and they weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
If you allow yourselves to wallow in this mindset, you’ll feel that everything is against you and that you can’t become successful yourself because your parents don’t have money, you didn’t go to Harvard, you don’t know the right people, or whatever excuse you can think of.
4) Elminate ANTS
Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” - Automatic Negative Thoughts - in his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.” These are the reactive thoughts you have without even thinking about it and goes hand in hand with not making assumptions.
Don’t assume it must be something bad if the boss wants to see you, or that when co-workers are laughing, they must be gossiping about you.
Automatic Negative Thoughts are a waste of your time and energy that can be better spent on the positive steps you need to take to reach your goals.
5) Step Back from Negative Thoughts
Following on eliminating ANTS, take the time to step back when you have a negative thought. Acknowledge that you had the negative thought, don’t judge it, and move on from it.
Implementing these steps into your daily life will make your self improvement a much easier journey. While it will be challenging at the beginning, the longer you are able to follow these steps, the easier it becomes.
Before you know it, they will be second nature and you will have integrated them into your new improved life without even consciously thinking about them.
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