15 Ways to Better Yourself and Excel

Truthfully, personal development is a never-ending journey with plenty of ways to better yourself. There is always work to be done, whether it’s healing, growing, or nurturing your being. Until I started to choose myself concisely, I didn’t realize the immense growth I would encounter. 

Your growth isn’t a race to be won but rather a life long commitment. Please don’t feel pressured to achieve as much as possible during these trying times; give yourself grace, and don’t forget to pace yourself. The list below of ways to better yourself is from my journey thus far. I hope you find something that sticks!

1. Implement A Daily Morning Routine

Improve your life by curating a personal morning routine, which might look like making tea, stretching, reciting affirmations, journaling, and “meditating“. Do simple but pleasurable tasks to get yourself ready for the day (anything goes – wink, wink). If you’re unsure where to start, grab my free personal development toolkit.

2. Wake Up Earlier

Optimal game changer right here. Don’t tell me you’re not a morning person because I’ve used that age-old term for as long as I could speak. The truth is – you’re not trying hard enough. If you start work at 9 AM, then wake up at 8:30 AM instead of 8:59 AM. Make small changes daily and see yourself lift off. Start small and then make minor adjustments as you go – before you know it, you’ll be up and at em’ at 6 AM. Waking up earlier than usual has plenty of benefits, from getting more done to having higher energy levels – if you don’t believe me, some studies link early risers with success.

3. Journal or Write

Write it down and filter it out. Until I got into the habit of deep journaling, I often found myself writing about my daily or weekly plans. Once I started digging into the questions about why I might feel what I feel or think what I think, then came the healing journey. Pen to paper serves as an outlet for the most uncertain thoughts that weigh heavy on your mind. Amid the writing, you might find far more clarity than you would by pushing it aside and not working through the tough stuff. 

4. Practice Gratitude 

I get it, every direction you turn – the word gratitude appears but with good reason. The practice of gratitude helps us find joy in even the simplest moments. Going through challenging moments in life takes a heavy mental toll. If we don’t appreciate the joyful moments, we tend to struggle to keep up. If writing isn’t your crutch, then speak the things you’re grateful for out loud and truly relish in it. Appreciating the small things reminds us not to take things for granted. 

5. Make and Revise Goals

We all work differently. For one, I wouldn’t say I like seeing goals on a whiteboard to achieve every month. What I do like is knowing that I have about 1-2 monthly goals and an overall quarterly and yearly goal to achieve. There is no one size fits all approach; follow a basic skeleton of goal setting, completing, and revising. No goal is too big or too small, so give it some thought by writing down your short- and long-term goals.

6. Take Mindful Breaks

It’s not enough for your personal development to set goals and tackle them all day. You need breaks. Breaks help you recharge and get back on course. For the sake of your mental health and to avoid burnout, take small breaks to stretch, move your body or get fresh air. Studies show that taking breaks can help reduce stress and maintain performance throughout your day. I often get up and go upstairs to use the bathroom, play hide and seek with my dog or mosey into the kitchen for snacks. 

7. Move Your Body 

As a sally sit a lot – I can vouch for the importance of getting some movement. I saw an immediate improvement in my mood, posture, and overall health when I started to implement 15 minutes of exercise into my day. You’ll feel better about yourself by doing something as simple as adding movement into your daily routine. Take a holistic approach to better yourself to truly reap the benefits of self-improvement.

8. Prioritize Yourself

Yes, yourself. There is always a way to choose yourself, and that doesn’t mean if you’re a caregiver, you have to neglect the needs of others – it just means you try your best to take care of yourself. Take yourself on a date, take a 2-hour bubble bath and keep your phone on airplane mode. This might look like not stretching yourself thin to cater to the needs of others. You can’t be everything to everyone all the time, so that ends today.

9. Practice Positive Self Talk

Positive self-talk is crucial to improving yourself. Sometimes we treat ourselves harshly and put ourselves down, but what if I told you that you could thrive by being kind to yourself. Positive self-talk looks like words of encouragement oozing with love. When you feel the old patterns creeping in, tackle them by reminding yourself that you are, in fact, good at what you do, that making mistakes are okay, and you are doing your best. Try to counter your negative thoughts with positive ones, and you’ll start to feel better about yourself.

10. Set boundaries and Say No

People that don’t respect boundaries either don’t have them or don’t respect you. Instead of putting up walls, put up healthy boundaries to protect your peace. Your mental health will thank you for it ten-fold. Personal development starts with you – it’s personal for a reason. If you don’t set and reinforce boundaries, then you’re going to feel drained, tired, and at times resentful.

11. Self-care is The Best Care 

There are many notches to self-care. Take some time to reflect on how you show up for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. I take self-care very seriously, and in doing so, I hosted an event for women that took a deep dive on nourishing your soul. As a means to work through some self-care nourishment, I created a self-care guide. As a start, ask yourself the hard questions, feel the hard feelings and make time for yourself.

12. Spend Your Time and Energy Well

Look at the company you keep. How do they make you feel? When you spend time with your loved ones, do you feel fulfilled, drained, or unsure? Surround yourself with the type of people aligned with your most authentic self, that help you improve your life. It’s okay to do a friend audit, and if you recognize that you’ve outgrown a relationship – you can still love them from afar. 

13. Ask For Feedback From People You Trust

Feedback is great. I’m not just talking about the good kind that makes you feel like you live in a land of fairies and unicorns. I mean the kind that requires you to sit down, the kind of feedback that has you questioning your inner pain points, the kind that makes you so uncomfortable that you think it can’t be true. Don’t just look for positive feedback because, truthfully, you’re not perfect, and striving to be is just a killjoy. You’re a human with human actions, feelings, and behaviors. Ask your most trusted confidants to give you some constructive criticism and work through it. Lean into the work of self-development.

14. Read or Listen to Audiobooks

Learning never ends, nor should it. Be it life experiences or a good self-help book; I hope you never stop yourself from grasping and applying knowledge. If you don’t like the handheld page-turning that comes with a book, then you can use an e-book or, better yet, have the content recited to you in the form of an audiobook. Some of my favorite personal development authors are Robin Sharma, Brene Brown, Morgan Jerkins, and Glennon Doyle – if you need book suggestions, send me a message.   

15. Listen to Podcasts and Ted Talks

All it takes is one good Ted Talk to spiral downwards into the merry land of self-development. I like to fluctuate between podcasts and ted talks on ways to better yourself. Podcasts are a brilliant addition to the learning library; you get tips, advice, and strategies from experts in various fields. Leave it running in the background and go about your day.

There are plenty of ways to better yourself, but it all starts with your commitment. Self-development isn’t a one size fits all approach, so try out as many things on this list as possible and see what sticks. Take small steps every day, and you’ll be well on your way to bettering yourself.

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Let me know what you do to work on yourself in the comments below. 

Disclaimer: The purpose of my blog is to assist people in making changes in their life through supportive guidance. This blog’s information is based on my life experience and sources credited in each post. By reading my blog, you acknowledge that I am not a licensed psychologist, medical doctor, or health care professional. My services do not replace the care of psychologists, doctors, or other healthcare professionals.