Dust off the Cobwebs and Polish Your Life  

Self-Improvement is about expanding your horizons and enhancing who you are already with new skills, new ways of thinking and new approaches to achieving the things you want in life. Self-improvement should never come from a place of, “I dislike who I am, so I need to change.” That borders on self-loathing and self-loathing isn’t healthy.

Self-improvement arises from self-acceptance. I am slow to rise and shine in the morning. I accept this about myself; therefore, I am going to improve how I feel in the morning by waking up ½ hour earlier so that I am not rushed and cranky every day.

Self-improvement clears the cobwebs and polishes you to a shiny, better version of yourself that’s better aligned with the person you want to be. Sometimes you have to clear away the clutter before you can change your thinking, other times, you just need to try something different. Challenge yourself to become a better version of you.

Dream – When you were a little girl, what did you dream you would become? Most women have greater recall of their childhood dreams than they do of their adult dreams—if they admit to having any! If you dreamed of owning a bed & breakfast, what has stopped you? If you can dream it, you can do it. If you dreamed last night about being a pastry chef, jot down that dream in a notebook. Do you know why you dreamed about that? Do you daydream about whitewater rafting? Perhaps you should record that thought on your phone and then follow up by looking for a place to go rafting this summer.

Write – Maybe your work won’t be Pulitzer Prize winning material, but if you write something daily, who knows? Keep a journal. Volunteer to write a newsletter for one of the clubs you’re a member of. Write poetry when sitting by the pool sipping your coffee. A creative outlet is good for the soul.

Meditate – Meditation dusts the cobwebs and clears the clutter in your mind. So often, the things that seem to creep in and take over our thinking…depression, negative thoughts, or anxiety can be redirected through meditation. Those are the cobwebs that keep us from a clear vision of who we really are in our own minds. Set aside a few minutes each day to meditate. If you need assistance learning to meditate or have trouble focusing on your own, try an online guided meditation like these from UCLA Health.

Read – Read something each day. When you read—whether for enjoyment or self-improvement—you change who you are today. Did you ever think of it that way? When you read, your brain changes. For a brief period, you become time-traveling Clare Fraser in Outlander, or you become a quilter when you attempt your first quilt from a DIY book. You could declare that Mondays are the day you will read a self-improvement article online, or that you will read one new article about investments each week.

Sample New Cuisine – Spin the globe, point to a country, and seek out cuisine from that region. You might find out that you like Kimchi, a fermented Korean cabbage dish. Yelp, Google, and Urban Spoon are great resources to find any cuisine you choose. Better still, learn to cook a dish from another country and share your new skill with friends or family.

Learn a New Language – Why not pick up where you left off with conversational French in high school? You’re older, and wiser, now. Mastery of a second, third…even fourth language can be fun. Rosetta Stone offers reasonable 3-year packages with online access and tutors to speak with. Check out your local area. Some community centers offers foreign languages classes for reasonable fees so you can learn conversational Polish, Greek or Chinese from native speakers.

Play with Your Children – Sure, you are tired and dinner needs to be prepared when you get home. Your kids, however, won’t always want to play Candyland or color with you. Read a story. Build a blanket tent. Live in THIS moment with them. This moment will have passed tomorrow. Your kids won’t remember if they ate dinner a little late or if dinner was soup from a can tonight. They will remember the time you spent with them.

Plant a Garden – You don’t need to clear acres of land to start a garden. Simple patio pots create a perfect beginners garden with little investment. Many times you can purchase pots at yard sales or find them for “free” at the roadside on garbage day. Add some garden soil and a few seeds or seedlings from the box store, and you can grow your own flowers, herbs and vegetables. You know you can sustain yourself if necessary, and a garden is a fun way to prove it.

Abandon a Bad Habit – In thirty days, you can kick just about any habit. The key is to become aware of your habit and move forward toward change. Perhaps you drink too much coffee. Make a conscious decision to eliminate or limit your coffee intake by changing your activity at the times when you normally consume coffee. For example, if you get coffee at the shop in your building because you cannot resist the smell on your way in at dawn, try entering the building via another door. Or, if you must have a warm beverage, switch to an herbal tea instead of that cup of Joe. The key is to do something instead of your usual behavior. If you bite your nails when you are contemplating your client list, try playing with a stress ball at your desk instead.

Apologize – There is nothing quite like the agonizing weight of guilt on your mind. Whether in personal or business relationships, feeling that something you did caused someone else pain or discomfort clouds your mind like the dust swirls after a home renovation. The best way to wipe away the dust is to apologize. Apologize when you just couldn’t make the deadline. Apologize to your daughter for forgetting to wash her favorite blouse in time for picture day. Accept responsibility if something was your responsibility and it got away from you, apologize, then, let it go.

Finish What You Started – One of the best ways to improve your own life is to make good on the promises you have made to yourself and others. Finish what you start. That half-painted bathroom that you notice every morning will only take a couple hours to complete. You will feel amazing when it is finished! The bag of clothing you started in your closet to donate to charity—what’s stopping you from completing the task? Your word is your bond—especially to yourself. If you want to learn a new language, but you never make time to do so, that demonstrates how little value you place on your own goals.

As fitness queen, Jillian Michaels said, “One setback is one setback—it is not the end of the world, nor is it the end of your journey toward a better you.” Self-improvement is a process not a one-time project. You may begin today, but the journey to improving yourself is a life-long commitment.