How to overcome yourself: 42 practical ways 🆙

Improving yourself is not easy. We need a strategy, a vision. Find out how to become the person you want in this article.

Are you a person who likes to grow on a personal, emotional, work and relational level? Are you constantly trying to improve yourself?

If so, then we have something in common.

I am very passionate about personal growth. Just 4 years ago when I discovered my passion to improve and help others to do the same. At that time I was 22 years old and close to college. As I thought about the meaning of life, I realized that there was nothing more meaningful than seeking a life of development and improvement. It is through self-improvement that one gets the most out of existence.

After a year and a half of researching and helping others grow through my personal development blog, I realize that there is never an end to the path of self-improvement.

The more I grow, the more I realize that there is so much out there that I don't know, so much that I have to learn.

Of course, there is always something about ourselves that we can improve. Human potential is unlimited, so it is impossible to come to a standstill.

Every time we think we are good at something, we can actually be even better.

As a passionate advocate for personal growth, I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself. I've compiled 42 of my best tips that might be helpful on your personal growth journey. Some of these are simple steps you can take right away. Some are bigger steps that require a fair amount of effort. Are here:

How to improve yourself: 42 ways

1. Read a book every day.

Books are concentrated sources of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you accumulate.

What are some books you can start reading to get rich? Some books I have read that have been helpful to me are Think and Grow Rich Yourself, Who Moved My Cheese?, The 7 Rules to Succeed, 80/20. The winning formula.

When you read a book every day, you will feed your brain with more and more knowledge.

It may interest you: 5 books that will help you find inspiration (better known as "Inspiring Books")

2. Learn a new language.

As a Chinese from Singapore, my main languages are English, Mandarin, Hokkien (a Chinese dialect), and Spanish. Out of interest, I have attended language courses such as Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia for the past few years.

I realized that learning a language is a completely new skill and that the process of learning a new language and culture is a totally mind-opening experience.

3. Pick up a new hobby.

Beyond your usual favorite hobbies, is there something new you can try? Is there a new sport you can practice?

Some examples are fencing, golf, rock climbing, soccer, canoeing, or ice skating.

Your new hobby can also be a recreational hobby. For example, ceramics, cooking, dance, web design, etc.

Learning something new requires physical, mental or emotional effort.

4. Choose a new course.

Is there a new course you can sign up for? Courses are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills.

It doesn't have to be a long course, seminars or workshops also serve their purpose.

I have been to a few workshops and they have helped me gain new knowledge that I never considered before.

5. Create an inspiration room.

The environment you are in determines your mood. If you live in a stimulating environment, you will be inspired every day.

In the past, I didn't like my room at all because I thought it was messy and boring. A few years ago, I decided I had had enough and completely renovated my room.

The final result? A room where I like to spend time and that inspires me to give my best every day.

6. Get over your fears.

We are all afraid. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of taking risks… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing.

But your fears often reflect areas where you can grow. I always think of fears as the compass of growth.

If I'm afraid of something, it represents something I still have to face, and facing it helps me improve.

7. Improve your skills.

If you have ever played video games, especially RPGs, you are familiar with the concept of leveling up: gaining experience to become stronger.

As a blogger, I am constantly improving my writing skills. As a speaker, I am constantly improving my language skills and emotional intelligence. What skills can you improve?

8. Get up early.

Many prominent people (including Anthony Robbins) have recognized that getting up early (say, 5-6 am) is a great way to improve productivity and quality of life.

When you get used to getting up early, you make the most of all the daylight hours and this allows you to live more proactively.

9. Establish a weekly exercise routine.

Healthy men in healthy body. To overcome one must necessarily go through physical exercise. Personally, my goal is to jog at least 3 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time.

You can perform various types of physical exercise such as jogging, going to the gym, pilates, swimming, and... in order to diversify the stimuli and develop a harmonious physical form.

10. Start writing your life manual.

A life manual is an idea that I started 3 years ago.

In essence, it is a book that contains the essentials on how you can live your life better, such as your purpose, values and goals. A bit like the instruction booklet of your life.

It has been a fundamental tool for my progress.

11. Write a letter to your "future self."

How do you see yourself in 5 years? 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.

Enter a note in the calendar to open it in 1 year. Then start working on becoming the person who will have to open that letter.

12. Get out of your comfort zone.

Real growth comes with hard work and sweat on the face. Being too comfortable doesn't help us grow, it makes us go soft, stagnate.

What is your comfort zone? Do you always do the same things? Do you always date the same people? Do you ever dare?

Rock your routine. Do something different.

By exposing yourself to a new context, you will learn to move accordingly and grow as you become aware.

13. Challenge someone.

Competition is one of the best ways to grow. Set a challenge (weight loss, exercise, financial challenge, etc.) and compete with a friend to see who achieves the goal first.

A little tacos will make you more productive and allow you to reach the goal sooner.

14. Identify your blind spots.

Scientifically, blind spots refer to areas that our eyes cannot see. In terms of personal development, blind spots are things about ourselves that we are not aware of. Discovering our blind spots helps us discover areas where we could improve.

One exercise I use to find my blind spots is to identify all the things/events/people that make me nervous/embarrassed on a given day. These represent my blind spots.

It's always fun to do this exercise because every time I discover new things about myself, although I think I already know my blind spots (but then they wouldn't be blind spots, right?).

Once I have identified my shortcomings, I try to fill them.

15. Ask for feedback.

As much as we try to analyze ourselves, there will always be something that we do not realize. Asking for feedback gives us additional perspective.

The people to ask can be friends, family, colleagues, the boss or even acquaintances, since they will not have prejudices and will be able to give their feedback objectively.

You may also be interested in: 12 discipline phrases that will lead you to success

16. Stay focused on the to-do list

I start my day with a list of tasks that I want to complete and this helps me stay focused. By comparison, the days I don't do this end up being extremely unproductive.

17. Set super ambitious goals.

I am a big fan of ambitious goals. They push you beyond your normal abilities, because they're big and bold, you wouldn't think you'd go after them normally.

What are the tasks you can undertake that will make you feel on top of the world once completed? Set them up and start working on them.

18. Acknowledge your flaws.

Everyone has flaws. The most important thing is to understand them, recognize them and deal with them.

What do you think are your flaws? What are the flaws you can work on now? How do you want to deal with them?

19. Take action.

The best way to learn and improve is to take action.

What were you going to do? How can you act immediately?

Waiting gets you nowhere. Taking action gives immediate results from which to learn.

20. Learn from people who inspire you.

Think about the people you admire. People who inspire you. Do these people reflect some qualities that you also want to have? How can you acquire them?

21. Give up a bad habit.

Are there any bad habits that can be stopped? Do you sleep too much? not exercise? always be late? Biting your nails? Smoke?

22. Cultivate a new habit.

Some good new habits to learn include reading books (#1), getting up early (#8), exercising (#9), reading a new personal development article every day (#40), and meditating.

Are there any other new habits you can cultivate to improve yourself?

23. Avoid negative people.

Come to the dice Jim Rohn,

"You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with."

Wherever we go, there are sure to be negative people. Don't spend too much time with them if you feel like they're bringing you down.

Discover the 5 Practical Benefits of Positive Thinking

24. Learn to deal with difficult people.

There are times when there are difficult people who cannot be avoided, such as in the workplace, or when the person is part of your close circle of acquaintances.

Learn to deal with them. Knowing how to manage people will allow you to go a long way both at work and in personal relationships.

25. Learn from your friends.

Each of them has amazing qualities. With all the friends around you, you will have a lot to learn.

Try to think of a good friend of yours right now. Think of a single quality that he has that you would also like to acquire. Can you also acquire this quality?

Talk to him if you need to. He will surely be more than happy to help you!

26. Start a journal.

Journaling is a great way to gain better self-awareness. It is a process of self-reflection.

As you write you will clarify your thoughts and by observing what you think as if you were a third person, you will obtain more information about yourself.

Your diary can be private or an online blog. I also use my personal development blog as a personal journal and have learned a lot about myself in the last year of blogging.

28. Find a mentor or coach.

There is no faster way to improve than having someone work with you on your goals.

Many of my clients come to me to train them on their goals and get much more results than if they had worked alone.

29. Reduce the time you spend texting.

I realized that having chat programs open by default is a huge waste of time. This time can be used much better in other activities.

The days I don't chat, I do a lot more. I usually disable the autostart option on chat programs and launch them when I feel like chatting and really have time to do so.

30. Learn to play chess (or any strategy game).

I discovered that chess is a fantastic game to learn strategies and sharpen the mind. Not only do you have fun, but you can also exercise your analytical skills.

You can also learn strategy from other board games or PC games, like Othello, Chinese Chess, WarCraft, etc.

31. Stop watching TV.

I haven't watched TV for about 4 years and it was a very liberating experience.

I realized that most of the programs and commercials on traditional television do not bring anything positive to my life.

In return, the time I have freed up is used constructively for other purposes, such as being with close friends, working that I enjoy doing, exercising, etc.

32. Start a 30 day challenge.

Set a goal and give yourself 30 days to achieve it. Your goal may be to maintain a new habit or something you've always wanted to do but never did.

30 days is enough time to define a strategy, plan, take action, review and reach the goal.

33. Meditate.

Meditation helps you calm down and become more aware. I also found that during the nights that I meditate (before bed), I wake up more rested. The process of cleaning up clutter is very liberating.

To learn more: 6 Psychological Relaxation Techniques (Anti-stress)

34. Learn to speak in public.

Interestingly, public speaking is the number one fear in the world, closely followed in second place by death.

After starting public speaking as a speaker/personal development coach, I learned a lot about how to better communicate, introduce myself and engage people.

35. Make friends with the best in their fields.

These people have achieved their results because they have the right skills, the right skills, and the right knowledge. How can you learn more effectively than directly from people who have been successful?

Gain new insights from them on how to improve and achieve the same results for yourself.

36. Let go of the past.

Are there any regrets or unhappiness from the past that you are holding on to? If so, it's time to let it go.

Holding on to them prevents you from forgiving yourself, moving on, and becoming a better person.

I recently finally got over a heartbreaking event that happened 5 years ago. The effect was liberating and very powerful, and I have never been happier.

37. Start a business.

Is there something that interests you? Why not turn it into a business and make money while learning at the same time?

Starting a new business requires learning business management skills, developing business acumen, and how to gain a competitive advantage.

The process of starting my personal development business has equipped me with many skills, such as self-discipline, leadership, organization, and management.

38. Be kind to the people around you.

You can never be too nice to someone. In fact, most of us do not show enough kindness to the people around us.

Being kind helps us cultivate other qualities like compassion, patience, and love.

As you go back to your day after reading this article, try expressing kindness to the people around you and see how they react.

Not only that, notice how you feel when you behave nicely towards others. Chances are, you'll also feel better about yourself.

39. Get in touch with people who hate you.

If you ever stand up for anything, you'll end up pissing someone off.

It's easy to hate people who hate us. It is much more difficult to forgive them.

Being able to forgive, let go, and show openness to these people requires magnanimity and a big heart.

Is there someone who hates you? If so, please contact them. Show them that you don't feel resentment towards them.

Look for a solution and put a stone on the problems of the past. Even if they refuse to reciprocate, do the same. It's so much more liberating than hating themselves.

40. Take a break.

Have you worked too much? Self-improvement also means acknowledging our need to take a break from time to time to recharge our batteries. You can't drive a car if you don't have gas.

It is important to schedule rest periods for yourself from time to time. Take some time off each week. Relax, unwind and recharge for what lies ahead.

41. Read 1 personal development article a day.

Some of my readers do well to read at least one personal development article every day, which I think is a great habit.

There are many great personal development blogs out there, including Fervida Inspiration.

42. Commit to your personal growth.

I can write articles with 10 ways, 25 ways, 42 ways, or even 1.000 ways to improve, but if you're not going to commit to your own growth, it doesn't matter what I write.

Nothing will change. You are responsible for your personal growth, no one else can do it for you. Not your mother, not your father, not your friend, not me, not Fervid Inspiration.

Make the decision to commit to your personal growth and embark on a journey of growth and change that will last a lifetime. Start your growth by choosing a few of the steps outlined above and working on them.

The results may not be immediate, but I promise you that as long as you follow them, you will begin to see positive changes in yourself and in your life.