There are lots of theories out there about people’s ability to change themselves. Some think it’s entirely impossible, others think it can be possible in small increments, and others think it’s possible with hard work.

Can you change yourself? The short answer to this question is yes, you can change yourself. It takes hard work, diligent effort, focus, dedication, and strength to change yourself, but it is possible. The thing is, it’s far from easy.

Put another way, you don’t have to change yourself, but you can improve yourself. You have to make the commitment and stick to it. You have to hold yourself accountable and make a diligent effort. You can’t give up halfway through the process and expect to make any headway.

The following exercises can help you implement personal improvement.

Develop New Habits– You can improve yourself by developing new habits. What new habits will enhance your life? Practice them every day, multiple times a day. Before you know it, they’ll be second-nature to you.

Example: If you have a habit of putting things off, do one unpleasant task a day. This could be something for your job or for cleaning your house. Something productive and positive are the only requirements.

Practice Identifying Your bad Behaviors Or Faults– Spend some time thinking each day, analyzing all of the experiences and interactions you’ve had. Try to find your problem areas and address them reasonably. Write them down. Don’t beat yourself up, but be honest with yourself.

Be Open To Criticism– Part of how you improve yourself is by listening to critiques from loved ones. You have to get these from people who truly love you that you trust and want only the best for you. Take their criticisms and really think about and review them. Ask yourself: Could you stand to improve in that area? Who might help you do that?

Challenge Yourself– Each day, give yourself a positive new challenge to help you reach your goal of affecting your desired change. You have to be responsible for motivating yourself. You might consider getting a “challenge buddy” to help motivate you and keep you accountable for taking action.

Example:  If you’d like to socialize more, you could challenge yourself to go to a new public place or talk to a new person each day. Again, you can do this by yourself or with your “challenge buddy”.

Sometimes, it may be emotionally painful and taxing, but you have to see it through to your end desire. You can do this!  Stick with it, see it through, and make continual progress.

How do you improve yourself? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.

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