5 Steps to Self- Improvement

Here we are, more than halfway done with 2017. How are you doing? Have you met the goals you set on New Year’s Eve? Have you revisited those goals and tweaked them along the way to make them more suitable and realistic? Or have you forgotten all the promises you made to yourself that night? Most of us have forgotten. Many continued with the same exact routine they have been living in for decades, though every year they promise themselves something new.

You know what the great thing about life is? You can make those changes at any given moment. You can start looking for a better job today! You can start eating healthier right now! You can decide that you and your partner need professional help and you can make an appointment for next week! Every day we can start from scratch. On this “Self-Improvement” month, we challenge you to do just that. We challenge you to start the life you have always wanted. Here are five tips to get the ball rolling:

  1. Revisit your list of goals.

You are no longer the same person you were 9 months ago. You have had new experiences and you have overcome tougher challenges since then. Perhaps the situation you originally wanted to change has improved, or perhaps it had gotten worse. Either way, you have to look at the set of goals you had 9 months ago and readjust them to the person you are now and your current situation.

  1. Create new goals.

No, this is not the same as #1. In #1 you are keeping the goals you set and adjusting them to your current situation. For example, if you wanted to lose 10 pounds 9 months ago, but you did not and instead you gained 10 pounds more, you can readjust your goal to be “lose 20 pounds”.

This is different. Here you will create new goals that will motivate you further to accomplish more! This one is mostly for those that have achieved some of their goals, it is time to set new ones! For example, if your goal was to finish your college career and you have graduated since, or if you are about to, your new goal should be to find a job by a set date. It is a completely different goal that builds on your first goal. Perhaps, you have realized that the original goal you set was not fit for you at all, so instead of tweaking it you need to set a new one altogether. For example, if you originally wanted to get more involved as a community leader but now you have realized that maybe you do not have the skill set to lead an organization or a movement, maybe change your goal to be to obtain the skills you need by educating yourself through conferences, networking events, or classes at a college.

  1. Be realistic.

Many of us do not achieve our goals because we have set unrealistic goals for ourselves. Finding someone and starting a family in a year, for example, is not realistic. You have to consider the time it takes to prepare yourself to reach your goal and the time it might take to achieve it. Maybe you can give yourself a little extra time, in case things don’t go as planned which they normally don’t.

  1. Do not be afraid.

Sometimes we are the only ones standing in the way of our goals. We set our own limits, we place our own doubts in our minds, and we allow others to influence our decisions. We cannot always control what obstacles life will put in our way, but we have total control of how we react to those challenges. It is in your hands to stay positive and persevere when the situation gets tough and your goal is at risk.

  1. Find a support system.

We, as a species, need and depend on communities and others to survive. We also depend on them to get ahead in life. It can be of great help to find a group of people or another person that have a similar goal. These people can keep you accountable for your actions and behaviors, which can aid you in reaching your goals. At the same time, you are also holding others accountable, which can make you feel more committed to your own goals.

At Ser Familia, we offer many programs and workshops that can help you improve your personal life, as well as, your family life. These are important goals to achieve because life is short and this is the only one you get, so you might as well do it right.