Showing posts with label Improve yourself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Improve yourself. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Wednesday, 18 January 2017
3 Steps To Use Your Strengths and Weaknesses To Improve Your Performance
Step 1: Stop focusing on weaknesses
Focusing on weaknesses will set you on a downward spiral. It will lower your self-esteem, blur your vision, it might even get you focused in the wrong direction.
The truth is, you will never be perfect. You will always have weaknesses that will accompany you throughout your life. Should you completely forget about them? Absolutely not! Understanding what your weaknesses are helps you plan ahead, hire the right team, because where you are weak, somebody else might excel.
One of the reasons why people are doing what they're not good at is because they focus too much on their weaknesses.
Let's say that Larry is a business owner and he resists the systems. His way of dealing with problems is to avoid them and create shortcuts. But as an entrepreneur his business can't run without proper systems. Larry has a decision to make. He can either force himself to do what he's not good at and create lots of stress in his business and life by focusing on this task, or he can hire somebody who will thrive in this area while he focuses on his unique expertise.
Both options will cost him. First one will cost him his time, energy and probably well-being. Second option will cost him money. The question remains - how valuable his time, energy and well-being are to Larry.
Today I challenge you to stop focusing on your weaknesses and shift your perspective. Accept the fact that you will never be perfect and step on the road toward your life purpose. All it takes is a decision.
Step 2: Understand your strengths
One of the side-effects of focusing on weaknesses is loss of perspective. Most of the time weaknesses will block your view and cause you to not see your real strengths.
Is it possible that who you are is totally fine and you don't have to "fix" yourself to improve your performance? I strongly believe that the reason why you're not seeing the results you want is not because you need to strengthen your weak spots, but because you're not strengthening your strong spots!
Ask yourself these questions...
What am I good at?
What are my core strengths?
Where should my focus be?
Couple years ago I've learned what my core strengths are. It took me couple years to understand how ground breaking this information is, but once I did, my life was never the same. Suddenly I knew that no matter how much I want to do something or how much I know about something, there are things I will or will not do. I've learned that by being myself I will be able to not only do my best job, but to also avoid wasting my energy on tasks that can (and should) be delegated.
I invite you to take yet another step today. Click here to schedule a Freedom To Be You consultation with me to discover your core strengths and...
Step 3: Maximize your potential
If you study the top performers out there, you'll notice that they have one thing in common. They're maximizing their potential in the area of their focus. They're not trying to be everything to everybody. And they don't pretend to know it all. So why should you?
Once you turn your focus away from your weaknesses and start discovering your core strengths, your next step should be to focus on expanding your strengths and maximizing your potential.
How do you do that? I wish the answer was as simple as 1-2-3, but it's not. Still, here are couple tips that might be helpful to you as you walk this life-long journey...
Think in terms of progress, not perfection. Life is about constant improvement. Take it easy, yet, challenge yourself.
Compare your performance on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. You've heard me right. When you need to compare, you compare your performance with your own, not somebody else's.
Ask for help. It's important to remember that nobody does anything great alone. You can't succeed alone. What makes a difference is a caliber of people you surround yourself with.
Focusing on weaknesses will set you on a downward spiral. It will lower your self-esteem, blur your vision, it might even get you focused in the wrong direction.
The truth is, you will never be perfect. You will always have weaknesses that will accompany you throughout your life. Should you completely forget about them? Absolutely not! Understanding what your weaknesses are helps you plan ahead, hire the right team, because where you are weak, somebody else might excel.
One of the reasons why people are doing what they're not good at is because they focus too much on their weaknesses.
Let's say that Larry is a business owner and he resists the systems. His way of dealing with problems is to avoid them and create shortcuts. But as an entrepreneur his business can't run without proper systems. Larry has a decision to make. He can either force himself to do what he's not good at and create lots of stress in his business and life by focusing on this task, or he can hire somebody who will thrive in this area while he focuses on his unique expertise.
Both options will cost him. First one will cost him his time, energy and probably well-being. Second option will cost him money. The question remains - how valuable his time, energy and well-being are to Larry.
Today I challenge you to stop focusing on your weaknesses and shift your perspective. Accept the fact that you will never be perfect and step on the road toward your life purpose. All it takes is a decision.
Step 2: Understand your strengths
One of the side-effects of focusing on weaknesses is loss of perspective. Most of the time weaknesses will block your view and cause you to not see your real strengths.
Is it possible that who you are is totally fine and you don't have to "fix" yourself to improve your performance? I strongly believe that the reason why you're not seeing the results you want is not because you need to strengthen your weak spots, but because you're not strengthening your strong spots!
Ask yourself these questions...
What am I good at?
What are my core strengths?
Where should my focus be?
Couple years ago I've learned what my core strengths are. It took me couple years to understand how ground breaking this information is, but once I did, my life was never the same. Suddenly I knew that no matter how much I want to do something or how much I know about something, there are things I will or will not do. I've learned that by being myself I will be able to not only do my best job, but to also avoid wasting my energy on tasks that can (and should) be delegated.
I invite you to take yet another step today. Click here to schedule a Freedom To Be You consultation with me to discover your core strengths and...
Step 3: Maximize your potential
If you study the top performers out there, you'll notice that they have one thing in common. They're maximizing their potential in the area of their focus. They're not trying to be everything to everybody. And they don't pretend to know it all. So why should you?
Once you turn your focus away from your weaknesses and start discovering your core strengths, your next step should be to focus on expanding your strengths and maximizing your potential.
How do you do that? I wish the answer was as simple as 1-2-3, but it's not. Still, here are couple tips that might be helpful to you as you walk this life-long journey...
Think in terms of progress, not perfection. Life is about constant improvement. Take it easy, yet, challenge yourself.
Compare your performance on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. You've heard me right. When you need to compare, you compare your performance with your own, not somebody else's.
Ask for help. It's important to remember that nobody does anything great alone. You can't succeed alone. What makes a difference is a caliber of people you surround yourself with.
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Communicate to Win - 3 Steps to Help You Get the Results You Want
"I shouldn't have said that".
"I should have said this instead."
"Maybe that email was too strong."
"Maybe that email wasn't strong enough."
"Was it clear?"
Is that you? If it is, you're not alone.
Are you communicating to win?
And by win, I mean achieve effective results.
Do you stop to think about what goal you want to achieve before you have a conversation, or draft an email?
After all, we plan and prepare for presentations, speeches, and other notable events, so why don't our everyday conversations, especially those with high stakes, not require or generate the same amount of care?
Let me share three quick and easy steps that will save you time by getting to the core of what you want to say, and how you need to say it.
Step 1
Identify your communication goals.
Ask: What do they need to know? What do they not need to know?
Example:
They need to know that I'm proud of the effort they took to finish this project before the deadline.
They need to know that I won't take no for an answer and I'll show up every day, asking same question a different way.
They need to know that I'm on the way out, and nothing they say can make me stay.
They need to know I want them to succeed and I that I believe in them.
Step 2
Identify your communication outcome
Ask: What end result do I want from this communication?
Example:
I want them to plan the next project better to avoid the late nights and cutting into personal time.
I want them to schedule a firm appointment to avoid being pestered every day.
I want them to acknowledge that I've made a firm decision.
I want them to walk away knowing that I genuinely care.
Sometimes your communication outcome doesn't require any action on the part of the recipient. That is okay. The key is to identify the outcome or result you do want based on the identified communication needs in step one.
Identify your positioning
Ask: What words or phrases will I use to communicate the outcomes in step 2?
What tone should I use? When should I best approach this topic?
"It's not what you say, but how you say it." (unknown)Answer:
Arm yourself with a few key phrases when you don't know what to say. Sarita Maybin provides some good leading examples in her book If You Can't Something Nice, What DO You Say?
Some examples are:
Help me understand...
You may not realize that...
Would you be willing to?...
I noticed... ,and I'm wondering...
I'm concerned that...
Use dictionary.com's thesaurus tool to help identify similar words and different ways to say something.
Avoid
using the word "but" after making a positive statement. Regardless of
what you've said before the use of the word, the recipient will often
tend to gravitate to what comes after the word "but" in a sentence.
Example:
I think you are a great father, but you need to spend more time with the kids.
You did a good job with the presentation, but it could have been shorter.
I do like your new hairstyle, but I liked it the way it was before.
Instead, end the positive statement and let it stand on its own, or replace the word 'but,' with 'and.'
For example, I do like your new hairstyle,and I also liked it the way it was before.
See the difference?
With your communication needs and outcomes identified, thinking for a few minutes about the best way to get that point across is probably the most challenging, and helpful step. There is no one size fits all approach to communication, and no matter how much you plan, there simply aren't any guarantees on the outcomes of a communication event. With planning steps in place, though, your chances of improved performance and achieving effective results increases.
What are some helpful phrases or tips you've used in your communications with others? Please share them in the comments below.
Example:
I think you are a great father, but you need to spend more time with the kids.
You did a good job with the presentation, but it could have been shorter.
I do like your new hairstyle, but I liked it the way it was before.
Instead, end the positive statement and let it stand on its own, or replace the word 'but,' with 'and.'
For example, I do like your new hairstyle,and I also liked it the way it was before.
See the difference?
With your communication needs and outcomes identified, thinking for a few minutes about the best way to get that point across is probably the most challenging, and helpful step. There is no one size fits all approach to communication, and no matter how much you plan, there simply aren't any guarantees on the outcomes of a communication event. With planning steps in place, though, your chances of improved performance and achieving effective results increases.
What are some helpful phrases or tips you've used in your communications with others? Please share them in the comments below.
Monday, 9 January 2017
Communication That Isn't Perfect
Are you ever worried that your communication isn't perfect?
Before your conversation (i.e. in your head), you know what you want to
say and how you want to say it. You may have also considered what the
other person's thoughts or objections may be. You may even have learnt
some new techniques (be it in training or coaching), but when put into
practice it doesn't quite work out.
Communication is rarely going to be perfect. No two moments are the same, and no two conversations will be the same. So, rather than give ourselves a hard time if our discussion didn't go to plan, we have a great opportunity to learn from the imperfections!
Stressing out about a conversation, and trying to make it perfect, can only make it harder to do. And by being anxious, you also can't be the most effective YOU.
I remember going into appraisals with my team, concerned about how I was going to say the right thing, especially if it was going to be thought of as criticism. How do I position it, when do I say it, will they accept it or will the barriers go up and we achieve nothing?
Human nature, and therefore communication, is complicated. We have different preferences, different working styles, different tolerances and different motivational needs. We also have different experiences and knowledge we draw upon when we enter any kind of communication. What we hear and how we feel about the conversation is based on our own personal thoughts, and not necessarily what is being said to us.
I've always loved this quote: "I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant." - Pentagon Spokesman, Robert McCloskey
But we can help ourselves get the best out of our communication style. By relaxing, and accepting that every conversation will be different, we take the pressure off. We are then activating our executive part of our brain, where we can make connections and notice what is happening during the conversation.
To help yourself (and the other party) get the best from the communication:
When we are not busy stressing about our own "performance" during the conversation, we can watch for tone and facial expressions. We can sense when someone has put their barriers up, or is no longer listening. We can bring authenticity. And therefore, we no longer have to worry about communication that isn't quite perfect.
Communication is rarely going to be perfect. No two moments are the same, and no two conversations will be the same. So, rather than give ourselves a hard time if our discussion didn't go to plan, we have a great opportunity to learn from the imperfections!
Stressing out about a conversation, and trying to make it perfect, can only make it harder to do. And by being anxious, you also can't be the most effective YOU.
I remember going into appraisals with my team, concerned about how I was going to say the right thing, especially if it was going to be thought of as criticism. How do I position it, when do I say it, will they accept it or will the barriers go up and we achieve nothing?
Human nature, and therefore communication, is complicated. We have different preferences, different working styles, different tolerances and different motivational needs. We also have different experiences and knowledge we draw upon when we enter any kind of communication. What we hear and how we feel about the conversation is based on our own personal thoughts, and not necessarily what is being said to us.
I've always loved this quote: "I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant." - Pentagon Spokesman, Robert McCloskey
But we can help ourselves get the best out of our communication style. By relaxing, and accepting that every conversation will be different, we take the pressure off. We are then activating our executive part of our brain, where we can make connections and notice what is happening during the conversation.
To help yourself (and the other party) get the best from the communication:
- Develop self-awareness to understand how your attitudes, behaviours and beliefs contribute to your communication style.
- Develop your leadership skills to understand and appreciate different personality types and motivational needs.
- Develop the confidence to actively listen, make mistakes and encourage people to contribute to discussions.
- Understand how cognitive biases could be at play in your decision making and discussions.
- Take notice of where someone with a different point of view and challenge your thinking on it.
When we are not busy stressing about our own "performance" during the conversation, we can watch for tone and facial expressions. We can sense when someone has put their barriers up, or is no longer listening. We can bring authenticity. And therefore, we no longer have to worry about communication that isn't quite perfect.
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Self motivation
Being self-motivated and taking initiative is vitally important
to most employers. No one wants to babysit a new member of staff through
their work. Equally, however, it is not right to simply ignore
instructions or advice and do what you feel is right. So how do you get a
balance?
What is self-motivation?
Being self-motivated is about doing your job well because you want to, and not simply because it pays your wages. Self-motivated individuals want to be the best they can be regardless of where they work and will often take responsibility for projects even when they do not need to.
Self-motivated individuals tend to:
Why do employers want self-motivated people?
Self-motivated employees need a lot less managing than less determined individuals, so are highly sought after by recruitment agencies and HR departments.
If you are self-motivated, you will normally want everything you do to be of the highest quality and you will always see the bigger picture that the company is looking at. Self-motivated individuals are motivated by improving themselves, and they only way they can do this is by making the company they work for better.
How can you show you have it?
Desire and self-motivation are difficult qualities to show. Expect to be asked questions about times when you have risen to a challenge or taken control of a situation. Employers are looking for people who have taken charge of a situation and solved it in a creative or innovative way. Fundraising is a good way to show initiative, as is times when you’ve identified a problem and come up with a solution.
You can also demonstrate self-motivation by emphasising the quality of your work and the impact it has had on your studies or previous jobs.
How is self-motivation used in the world of work?
It is much easier to demonstrate self-motivation once you’ve actually landed the job. Little things like getting to work ten minutes early are noticed. Make sure you ask your manager questions and show a desire to do well – if your manager identifies an issue, go away, think about it and try to come up with a solution. Enthusiasm can go a long way.
Source
What is self-motivation?
Being self-motivated is about doing your job well because you want to, and not simply because it pays your wages. Self-motivated individuals want to be the best they can be regardless of where they work and will often take responsibility for projects even when they do not need to.
Self-motivated individuals tend to:
- Work longer and later than others
- Learn new skills and take regular training courses
- Take ownership of problems
- Become team leaders
- Go above and beyond their job description
Why do employers want self-motivated people?
Self-motivated employees need a lot less managing than less determined individuals, so are highly sought after by recruitment agencies and HR departments.
If you are self-motivated, you will normally want everything you do to be of the highest quality and you will always see the bigger picture that the company is looking at. Self-motivated individuals are motivated by improving themselves, and they only way they can do this is by making the company they work for better.
How can you show you have it?
Desire and self-motivation are difficult qualities to show. Expect to be asked questions about times when you have risen to a challenge or taken control of a situation. Employers are looking for people who have taken charge of a situation and solved it in a creative or innovative way. Fundraising is a good way to show initiative, as is times when you’ve identified a problem and come up with a solution.
You can also demonstrate self-motivation by emphasising the quality of your work and the impact it has had on your studies or previous jobs.
How is self-motivation used in the world of work?
It is much easier to demonstrate self-motivation once you’ve actually landed the job. Little things like getting to work ten minutes early are noticed. Make sure you ask your manager questions and show a desire to do well – if your manager identifies an issue, go away, think about it and try to come up with a solution. Enthusiasm can go a long way.
Source
Monday, 12 December 2016
Friday, 2 December 2016
42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself - Part 3
This is Part 3 of 42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself
21. Quit a bad habit. Are there any bad habits you can lose? Oversleeping? Not exercising? Being late? Slouching? Nail biting? Smoking? Here’s some help on how you can quit a bad habit.
22. Cultivate a new habit. Some good new habits to cultivate include reading books (#1), waking up early (#8), exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article a day (#40) and meditating. Is there any other new habit you can cultivate to improve yourself?
23. Avoid negative people. As Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. Wherever we go, there are bound to be negative people. Don’t spend too much of your time around them if you feel they drag you down.
24. Learn to deal with difficult people. There are times when there are difficult people you can’t avoid, such as at your workplace, or when the person is part of your inner circle of contacts. Learn how to deal with them. These people management skills will go a long way in working with people in the future.
25. Learn from your friends. Everyone has amazing qualities in them. It’s up to how we want to tap into them. With all the friends who surround you, they are going to have things you can learn from. Try thinking of a good friend right now. Think about just one quality they have which you want to adopt. How can you learn from them and adopt this skill for yourself? Speak to them if you need to – for sure, they will be more than happy to help!
26. Start a journal. Journaling is a great way to gain better self-awareness. It’s a self-reflection process. As you write, clarify your thought process and read what you wrote from a third person’s perspective, you gain more insights about yourself. Your journal can be private or an online blog. I use my personal development blog as a personal journal too and I’ve learned a lot about myself through the past year of blogging.
27. Start a blog about personal development. To help others grow, you need to first be walking the talk. There are expectations of you, both from yourself and from others, which you have to uphold. I run The Personal Excellence Blog, where I share my personal journey and insights on how to live a better life. Readers look toward my articles to improve themselves, which enforces to me that I need to keep improving, for myself and for the people I’m reaching out to.
28. Get a mentor or coach. There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. Many of my clients approach me to coach them in their goals and they achieve significantly more results than if they had worked alone.
29. Reduce the time you spend on chat programs. I realized having chat programs open at default result in a lot of wasted time. This time can be much better spent on other activities. The days when I don’t get on chat, I get a lot more done. I usually disable the auto start-up option in the chat programs and launch them when I do want to chat and really have the time for it.
30. Learn chess (or any strategy game). I found chess is a terrific game to learn strategy and hone your brainpower. Not only do you have fun, you also get to exercise your analytical skills. You can also learn strategy from other board games or computer games, such as Othello, Chinese Chess, WarCraft, and so on.
Source
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself - Part 2
This is Part 2 of 42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself
11. Write a letter to your future self. What do you see yourself as 5 years from now? Will you be the same? Different? What kind of person will you be? Write a letter to your future self – 1 year from now will be a good start – and seal it. Make a date in your calendar to open it 1 year from now. Then start working to become the person you want to open that letter.
12. Get out of your comfort zone. Real growth comes with hard work and sweat. Being too comfortable doesn’t help us grow – it makes us stagnate. What is your comfort zone? Do you stay in most of the time? Do you keep to your own space when out with other people? Shake your routine up. Do something different. By exposing yourself to a new context, you’re literally growing as you learn to act in new circumstances.
13. Put someone up to a challenge. Competition is one of the best ways to grow. Set a challenge (weight loss, exercise, financial challenge, etc) and compete with an interested friend to see who achieves the target first. Through the process, both of you will gain more than if you were to set off on the target alone.
14. Identify your blind spots. Scientifically, blind spots refer to areas our eyes are not capable of seeing. In personal development terms, blind spots are things about ourselves we are unaware of. Discovering our blind spots help us discover our areas of improvement. One exercise I use to discover my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that trigger me in a day – trigger meaning making me feel annoyed/weird/affected. These represent my blind spots. It’s always fun to do the exercise because I discover new things about myself, even if I may already think I know my own blind spots (but then they wouldn’t be blind spots would they?). After that, I work on steps to address them.
15. Ask for feedback. As much as we try to improve, we will always have blind spots. Asking for feedback gives us an additional perspective. Some people to approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances, since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.
16. Stay focused with to-do lists. I start my day with a list of tasks I want to complete and this helps make me stay focused. In comparison, the days when I don’t do this end up being extremely unproductive. For example, part of my to-do list for today is to write a guest post at LifeHack.Org, and this is why I’m writing this now! Since my work requires me to use my computer all the time, I use Free Sticky Notes to manage my to-do lists. It’s really simple to use and it’s a freeware, so I recommend you check it out.
17. Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). I’m a big fan of setting BHAGs. BHAGs stretch you beyond your normal capacity since they are big and audacious – you wouldn’t think of attempting them normally. What are BHAGs you can embark on, which you’ll feel absolutely on top of the world once you complete them? Set them and start working on them.
18. Acknowledge your flaws. Everyone has flaws. What’s most important is to understand them, acknowledge them, and address them. What do you think are your flaws? What are the flaws you can work on now? How do you want to address them?
19. Get into action. The best way to learn and improve is to take action. What is something you have been meaning to do? How can you take action on it immediately? Waiting doesn’t get anything done. Taking action gives you immediate results to learn from.
20. Learn from people who inspire you. Think about people you admire. People who inspire you. These people reflect certain qualities you want to have for yourself too. What are the qualities in them you want to have for yourself? How can you acquire these qualities?
Source
Monday, 28 November 2016
42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself - Part 1
Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better?
If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. It was just 4 years ago when I discovered my passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 22 and in my final year of university. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.
After 1.5 years of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through my personal development blog, I realize there is never an end to the journey of self improvement. The more I grow, the more I realize there is so much out there I don’t know, so much that I have to learn. For sure, there is always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth. Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better.
As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve compiled 42 of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately. Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they are:
1. Read a book every day. Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to. What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich and Living the 80/20 Way. I’ve heard positive reviews for The Tipping Point, Outliers and The Difference Maker, so I’ll be checking them out soon.
2. Learn a new language. As a Singaporean Chinese, my main languages are English, Mandarin and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). Out of interest, I took up language courses in the past few years such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian. I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.
3. Pick up a new hobby. Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn? Examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, football, canoeing, or ice skating. Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc. Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.
4. Take up a new course. Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too. I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.
5. Create an inspirational room. Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day. In the past, I didn’t like my room at all because I thought it was messy and dull. A few years ago, I decided this was the end of it – I started on a “Mega Room Revamp” project and overhauled my room. The end result? A room I totally relish being in and inspires me to be at my peak every day.
6. Overcome your fears. All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth. If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.
7. Level up your skills. If you have played video games before especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger. As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?
8. Wake up early. Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life. I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day. Seth recently wrote a waking up early series which you should check out to help cultivate this habit.
9. Have a weekly exercise routine. A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.
10. Start your life handbook. A life handbook is an idea I started 3 years ago. Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life. I started my life handbook since 2007 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.
If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. It was just 4 years ago when I discovered my passion for growing and helping others grow. At that time, I was 22 and in my final year of university. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized there was nothing more meaningful than to pursue a life of development and betterment. It is through improving ourselves that we get the most out of life.
After 1.5 years of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through my personal development blog, I realize there is never an end to the journey of self improvement. The more I grow, the more I realize there is so much out there I don’t know, so much that I have to learn. For sure, there is always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth. Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better.
As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. I’ve compiled 42 of my best tips which might be helpful in your personal growth journey. Some of them are simple steps which you can engage in immediately. Some are bigger steps which takes conscious effort to act on. Here they are:
1. Read a book every day. Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you expose yourself to. What are some books you can start reading to enrich yourself? Some books I’ve read and found useful are Think and Grow Rich, Who Moved My Cheese, 7 Habits, The Science of Getting Rich and Living the 80/20 Way. I’ve heard positive reviews for The Tipping Point, Outliers and The Difference Maker, so I’ll be checking them out soon.
2. Learn a new language. As a Singaporean Chinese, my main languages are English, Mandarin and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect). Out of interest, I took up language courses in the past few years such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian. I realized learning a language is a whole new skill altogether and the process of acquainting with a new language and culture is a totally a mind-opening experience.
3. Pick up a new hobby. Beyond just your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can pick up? Any new sport you can learn? Examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, football, canoeing, or ice skating. Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, pottery, Italian cooking, dancing, wine appreciation, web design, etc. Learning something new requires you to stretch yourself in different aspects, whether physically, mentally or emotionally.
4. Take up a new course. Is there any new course you can join? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. It doesn’t have to be a long-term course – seminars or workshops serve their purpose too. I’ve been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new insights which I had not considered before.
5. Create an inspirational room. Your environment sets the mood and tone for you. If you are living in an inspirational environment, you are going to be inspired every day. In the past, I didn’t like my room at all because I thought it was messy and dull. A few years ago, I decided this was the end of it – I started on a “Mega Room Revamp” project and overhauled my room. The end result? A room I totally relish being in and inspires me to be at my peak every day.
6. Overcome your fears. All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Recognize that your fears reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass for growth. If I have a fear about something, it represents something I’ve yet to address, and addressing it helps me to grow.
7. Level up your skills. If you have played video games before especially RPGs, you’ll know the concept of leveling up – gaining experience so you can be better and stronger. As a blogger, I’m constantly leveling up my writing skills. As a speaker, I’m constantly leveling up my public engagement abilities. What skills can you level up?
8. Wake up early. Waking up early (say, 5-6am) has been acknowledged by many (Anthony Robbins, Robin Sharma, among other self-help gurus) to improve your productivity and your quality of life. I feel it’s because when you wake up early, your mindset is already set to continue the momentum and proactively live out the day. Seth recently wrote a waking up early series which you should check out to help cultivate this habit.
9. Have a weekly exercise routine. A better you starts with being in better physical shape. I personally make it a point to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time. You may want to mix it up with jogging, gym lessons and swimming for variation.
10. Start your life handbook. A life handbook is an idea I started 3 years ago. Basically, it’s a book which contains the essentials on how you can live your life to the fullest, such as your purpose, your values and goals. Sort of like your manual for your life. I started my life handbook since 2007 and it’s been a crucial enabler in my progress.
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