Your 7 days program to self-improvement
A good friend of mine was once in a destructive marriage. As I watched her try to salvage her situation and be a mom and wife, I watched her lose her sense of self. She became a shell of who she really was. The downward spiral was quick and scary. We’ve all seen it: fairly tales aren’t really as clearly exemplified by the countless herd of failed celebrity marriages. Yet society continues to view movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.
There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.
So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Following is a week long list of tools to use:
1. Know your purpose
Are you wandering through life with little direction – hoping that you’ll happen to stumble across happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.
This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. Start by listing out your values and then add priroties tied to each value. It will give you a good basis for a personal mission statement which leads us to:
2. Know your values
What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for the coming year- check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top five values – you may want to reconsider it or revise it.
3. Know your needs
Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it’s too late! And be honest with yourself… so many people want to list altruistic values and needs when in reality your needs may be more self centered. Be true to yourself to get your true results. Once you know who you are, good and bad, you can nurture the good and work on the bad.
4. Know your passions
You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be. Make those that believe in you proud by being what they see and you probably don’t. If you are unsure why you are loved, ask.
5. Live from the inside out
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There’s sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.
6. Honor your strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three – if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.
7. Serve others
When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit – your essence. It is essential to identify your strengths, passions, values, needs before you serve. Think of it as replenishing your cup. As you identify where you lie in the world, giving of that refills that within you.
Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.
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