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How To Improve Yourself

Many people feel hopeless or helpless when thinking about where they are in life.  For some people,  it seems like they fell into a rut they can’t get out of.  They may be still living with their parents and have a low paying job working what they consider menial labor.  If this is you, you need to learn how to improve yourself.

Do you have dreams of doing something productive with your life, having a job you’re proud of, and feeling worthwhile?.   Do you want to do something that matters, and be someone who matters?  Do you get depressed thinking you are fooling yourself and that you’ll never actually achieve anything?  Maybe you don’t want to feel foolish by thinking you can do something worthwhile and then be disappointed if you fail.  When you feel this way, you don’t want to even try.  Consequently, you stay stuck in the rut.

There is always something you can do to improve yourself and your situation.  A  great job offer may not fall into your lap but you can start bettering yourself to increase your chances of success.  You might start by turning yourself into someone who keeps his surroundings orderly and clean.  Start by turning yourself into someone who does even the smallest job the right way instead of taking shortcuts.  Maybe you start by becoming someone who reads a little every day about something useful (libraries are still free).  

When you make yourself a better version of yourself than you were the week before, you start building your confidence.  You may start seeing yourself taking on other challenges that will further boost your knowledge, skills, and confidence.

What to Do

If you’re in a rut, you can start by looking around you and seeing what you can control.  Start small.  Even if you just straighten papers on a table, you can tell yourself “I just did that”.  You’ve just improved yourself ever so slightly. Now what else can you do?  Make your bed, pick up some clutter around the house, do a few minutes of exercise.  

While these things may not seem related to getting a better job, controlling small things will give you a feeling of productivity and mastery over your situation.  Small successes build up to big successes.  You may soon find you’re getting out more, meeting new people, taking more chances on applying for better jobs, and so on.  

If nothing else, you’ll feel better about yourself when you do these small things than if you don’t do anything different. If you really want to improve yourself, Counseling can also help. One thing counselors are good at is helping you build self-confidence. However, the right way to build confidence is to build skill.

Gary Watson is a Solution Focused Therapist in Grand Rapids Michigan.  He provides counseling for couples, teenagers, and adults.  He can help with anxiety, depression, stress, college and work stress, relationship problems, and more.  For more information, please visit the website at www.turnaboutcounseling.com.