5 Ways To Improve Yourself Every Day

Are you seeking self-improvement, but aren’t sure where to start? Well, we promise, you’re not alone. Coming up with a personal development plan to set yourself up for self-improvement isn’t necessarily easy, but as always, we’re here to help you make positive shifts in your life. We’ve got you covered for a personal development plan that can help you improve yourself and your life with just five steps. Ready to get started?
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Self Improvement Step 1: Cultivate Gratitude

Gratitude is so important. Think about how often you get held up on the negative things, the little things that bother us, and the things that we don’t have. Probably a lot, right? Now, imagine we spent that much time focusing on the good things, no matter how small they may be. Like, that delicious cup of tea or coffee you might be drinking while you’re reading this. That’s something to be grateful for. The roof over your head? Something to be grateful for. Having family and friends? You get the picture. 

So, how can you cultivate gratitude, and what does it have to do with self-improvement? Feeling grateful for what you have can help you feel happier now, and help you to stop comparing yourself and what you have to others and what they have. 

Add gratitude journaling to your personal development plan, or you can use The Daily Shifts app for daily gratitude reminders. Even just listing three things that you’re grateful for can make a difference in your mood. The more often you do this, the more often and the more easily you’ll be able to cultivate gratitude and be happy with what you have. Talk about self-improvement! 
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Self Improvement Step 2: Breathing Practices

We know, we know. Breathing practices can sound a little woo-woo, but they really don’t have to be. When we talk about breathing practices, we are talking about simply paying attention to your breath, and taking deep breaths from your belly, not shallow breaths from your chest. Adding a breathing practice into your personal development plan can help you reduce stress and anxiety, especially in times when you need it most. 

There are so many different breathing techniques you can try out until you find something that works for you that you can integrate into your personal development plan.  In The Daily Shifts app, we have a visual breathing exercise you can do, where you follow the graphic to breathe in and out slowly three times. Something as simple as this can ground you, keep you present, and reduce anxiety. Or, you can try something a little more advanced, like the Wim Hof method. The options are endless.

Sure, we’re breathing all the time but it’s only when we mindfully pay attention to our breath, work to deepen it, and practice exercises, that we will notice self-improvement.  
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Self Improvement Step 3: Presence and Mindfulness

Being present is way easier said than done. Most people have their heads in 100 different places at once. We may be with our friends physically, but our head is off thinking about work, emails we forgot to answer, and that tiff you just got in with your significant other. Oh, and you’re probably scrolling through social media while all of this is going on. See the problem here? 

By adding “actively working on being more present” into your personal development plan, you can notice a big difference. How do you become more present? Through practice and mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a big buzzword these days, but basically, what it means is bringing your attention to the present moment, noticing how you feel at this moment, and not judging it. My favorite definition of mindfulness is, being completely present in the moment without wanting anything to be different.  So, if you’re hanging out with your friends and you notice that your mind is starting to wander to work stuff, notice it, don’t judge the thought, and just bring your attention back to the present here and now with your friends. 

Mindfulness meditation can also help with your ability to be present as well as overall self-improvement. You don’t have to meditate in silence for 30 minutes. You can (and should) start out with a short guided meditation, and then work your way up to longer periods of time, if you’d like. Make meditation a healthy habit. 

Even science has backed up the self-improvement benefits of meditation. According to the National Institutes of Health, meditation can help you with:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
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Are you sold on meditation yet? Add it to your personal development plan today to start reaping the benefits.
 

Self Improvement Step 4: Realign your Health

It’s not always the easiest thing to be healthy in today’s day and age where fast food and Netflix binge-watching are the norms. What we need to look at for self-improvement is just going back to the basics of health – the simple things we learned when we were younger about how to stay healthy. Physical health and mental health go hand in hand, so by improving your physical health, especially these basics, you’ll certainly be on the path to self-improvement. Add the following into your physical health personal development plan:

• Drinking enough water
• Getting enough sleep
• Having a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercising regularly 
  

Working on these aspects of your health in your personal development plan can make a big difference. Sometimes when we try to get healthy, we get sucked into crash diets or whatever fitness gadget is trendy at the moment, while in reality, the above four pillars of health are the most useful aspects. Do these, and everything else should follow. Again, these will benefit not only your physical health but also your mental health. Of course, if you are struggling with your health, be sure to see your doctor.
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Self Improvement Step 5: Meaningful Connections

Self-improvement isn’t always just about yourself. Who we surround ourselves with can really impact us, so you want to make sure that you are prioritizing meaningful connections with people in all aspects of your life. Sometimes, that means cutting out negative, toxic people from your life, and sometimes that means really nurturing the current great relationships that you have right now. It’s all about being intentional with your time and energy – and that should be an overarching theme in your personal development plan.

Having a meaningful connection with yourself is also important. Always be mindful and tune into your physical and emotional needs. The first four steps should help you with that. You need to love and value yourself – that’s part of self-improvement, too! 
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The Self Improvement Challenge

Looking to dive right into some self-improvement? We’ve created a five-day challenge that can serve as a crash course in a personal development plan for you. The best part? Each day’s challenges will take you less than 10 minutes. 

In 5 days, you can learn how to reset your daily routine and put in place powerful, simple habits for self-improvement. Are you in? Sign up here.