Self Improvement Basics

So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in today’s tough, stress-filled environment? Here are some tips you should consider as a starter guide to your self improvement.

Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you can’t even imagine. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you.  So which dart pins should you make a conscious effort to avoid?

Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment

Beware of the “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you work too much without getting help from people concerned.  Stay out of this, it will destroy your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but keep the competition healthy.

Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behaviour

Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossip-mongers, whiners, back stabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronisers,… all these kinds of people will give off bad vibes and bring you down to their level - unless you make a stand against them for the sake of your self esteem, and your general self improvement. Stay away from these people.

Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment

You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for a while, it may even cause stress - but it will help us find ways to improve our lives. Change will always happen, we must be susceptible to it - and embrace it.

Dart Pin #4: Past Experience

It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson learned. Download ‘Fail As Fast As Possible’ And Other Contrarian Business Success Secrets for more information. It’s in PDF format and will cost you nothing. It’s definitely worth a read!

Dart Pin #5: Negative World View

Look at what’s in front around you. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of the worst situations.

Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory

The way you are and the way you behave is thought to be determined by; your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings (such as your spouse, the company you work for, the economy or your circle of friends). You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experiences, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes. You can learn as much from ‘failures’ as you can from successes.

It’s often thought that some people are born as leaders, or positive thinkers. NOT TRUE. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and working on your self improvement is a choice - not a rule or a natural talent.

You must choose to be bullet-proof. Self improvement is a battle, and you must be prepared for it. As in any battle, you may get knocked down, injured, or bruised. By choosing to become bullet-proof, you are choosing to change yourself from within. Change your attitude, your behaviour, and your way of thinking.

Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do.  When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline.  Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination.

So where do you start?

Be positive. Be content and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your start to true self improvement.