Your Attitude Makes All The Difference
We are all born with our own gifts and talents, but what separates an average person from a truly exceptional individual? Quite simply, the way you approach life and how much effort you put into self-improvement can propel you from a mediocre existence to a life that is so much more fulfilling. Your mentality shapes the messages you send yourself. It dictates your level of self-esteem, how much progress you can expect to make in life and even the way others treat you. Changing your mentality isn’t easy but the rewards are substantial.
Self-improvement Is Key
If you want to develop your skills and reach your goals, you need to make self-improvement a big part of your life. As the saying goes, the bridge between dreams and goals is action. For every key area in your life, make a list of your main objectives and ways in which you would like to grow. For example, you may wish to become a more competent artist and learn how to draw people, animals, landscapes or any other subjects that catch your interest. Signing up for an art class, investing in some basic materials and scheduling time every week to draw for a few hours would be useful steps to take if your goal is to become good at drawing.
Self-improvement tends to lay the groundwork for a virtuous or upward cycle. When you take your ambitions and goals seriously, this helps you maintain a positive and proactive outlook. The better your mentality, the more time and energy you will devote to self-improvement and the stronger your skill set will become. This in turn will feed your confidence and inspire you to pursue further success. Your life satisfaction will soar along with your competence.
It’s tempting to compare your progress to that of others, and to rate your own contributions against theirs. However, this is a mistake that will set you back. It’s great to be inspired by other peoples’ work and to learn from their successes, but constantly making comparisons may lower your self-esteem, especially if you are early on in your journey and haven’t yet achieved your desired level of mastery.
Tiny Steps Are Sometimes Best
Even if you only move towards your goal in tiny increments, you should congratulate yourself for making progress. Many people go through life wishing and hoping for change without taking steps to make it happen. It’s the small changes that add up to groundbreaking results. For example, you may wish to become a marathon runner but cannot remember the last time you walked for longer than 20 minutes. In this case, by walking just 5-10 extra minutes per day most days of the week you would be making huge progress. If you have become highly introverted recently and your goal is to become more social, meeting up with friends one evening per fortnight would be a fantastic initial milestone.
If you have a competitive streak, focus on beating the old version of yourself rather than outperforming other people. You have no idea as to their personal problems and insecurities, and they are on their own journey. Moreover, even if they appear to give much more to the world than you do, remember that this does not invalidate your own progress. Everyone has plenty to give, and everyone needs to move at their own speed.
How To Maintain A Positive Mindset
Remaining positive and dedicated to personal growth whilst resisting the urge to compare oneself to others is a difficult task. Some people find that journaling about their experiences can help them retain their focus. Try making regular lists of your achievements, no matter how small, together with lists of everything that is positive in your life. This can help you remain grateful for what you have and committed to your personal development.
Try and use positive language when you talk to other people. If you talk about yourself and your progress in a derogatory manner, this signals to yourself and everyone else that your goals aren’t to be taken seriously and that you are only expecting to make limited progress. Speak as though you believe in yourself and others are likely to follow suit.
