The Art of Improvement 
A common meme online says, âMy brain is like an internet browser. I have 19 tabs open, 3 are frozen, and I have no idea where the music is coming from!â Sound familiar? With so many things to do and think about these days, you may well find yourself lost in brain fog, and wondering what to do about it.
Returning to a state of Mental Clarity can take time. But utilizing some strategies for reducing stress and reorganizing your thinking may help.
Think about all the times you said things like âI need to drink more waterâ, or âI need to do more reading.â While these issues can feel more like mild irritations than wider life issues most of the time, theyâre all reflective of one thing: your self-discipline. Essentially, itâs the continuation of good, healthy habits that ultimately improve your life. Put it this way, when life is running smoothly: work is flowing, youâre not making silly mistakes and you feel positive within yourself and your relationships – everything is the culmination of self-discipline.
Each time you put yourself in a position to win, youâre profiting from all of the previous times youâve shown a sense of self-discipline. Without that trait, itâs easy to slip up and break a disciplined streak. The only person who can hold you accountable is you, potentially causing self-deprecation to creep in too. Itâs important not to let that happen.
One of the world’s wealthiest billionaires, Warren Buffet, is quoted as having said,
âThe difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.â
This concept may seem confusing to some, wondering how anyone could be really successful if they say no to most things. Wouldnât you think that by taking advantage of every invitation and opportunity, you could have a full and profitable portfolio of investments and accomplishments?
You might think so, but by discovering how really successful people look at opportunities, you might find that by being more selective in where you put your time and energy, youâll produce better results!
Letâs take a look at why saying no to some things, can be a big YES to bigger things.
Imagine that you just stayed up very late last night studying for a big test. You focused all of your energy on memorizing as much information as you could. You drank coffee and energy drinks to keep yourself awake and finally crashed in the wee hours of the morning. Then when you went to take your test, you felt tired, frazzled and ended up forgetting half of what you had studied. Sound familiar?
Well, what if you were to discover a better way to learn information, and remember it for a much longer period of time? What if you not only memorized facts and descriptions, but actually understood them?
Every piece of information youâve ever acquired has been learned. Every single one. I could end the article at that, but no one will have learned anything. While learning new pieces of information every day is one thing, consistently choosing to is another.
For many people, the most concentrated time for learning takes place in a school or a university. Thatâs where you go to develop your mind and learn about all manner of things, allowing you to make choices and become the person you are today. Thatâs great, but the education system lets us all go eventually. For the vast majority of your life, learning will be in your hands.
Life is not always smooth sailing. Thatâs probably not a surprise to most people. Even so, it still seems to knock the wind out of our sails when life gets hard. So what do you do when things arenât going the way youâd hoped, or you get broadsided by an unexpected event or circumstance?
Let’s take a look at a few ideas for how to weather the storm without sinking your ship.
Are you a morning person? Some are and some arenât. Regardless of the time you start your day, you most likely have some sort of morning routine. Most people have consistent habits that begin when they first get out of bed. These may be things like drinking coffee, eating something, maybe checking your phone for social media posts. Or other random interruptions that may pop up.
But what if your morning routine was planned out in such a way to make your day more productive? Could a morning routine actually make you more successful? What kind of activities and intentions might help you to start your day on a more positive note?
Letâs take a look at some reasons why a morning routine could make you more successful.
Overthinking is easy to slip into. Think about a time you distinctly remember overthinking. You feel your heartbeat rise and your eyes dart. Thoughts fire at unprecedented speeds as you struggle to pick up the pieces. You work yourself up, imagining all kinds of scenarios in your head, overloading it with stress.
Now ask yourself this, how many times have you felt silly or a strange wash of relief because the overthinking led to nothing? More often than not, situations arenât as complex as you may think. Overthinking can lead to procrastination, and a lack of self-confidence, and destroys the time you have with yourself while potentially affecting those around you. Of course, this isnât a blanket statement. Neglecting certain aspects in fear of overthinking will cause avoidable issues. Still, itâs worth noting the damage overthinking can cause.
The Flow State. Maybe youâve heard of it. Some call it âbeing in the zone.â Itâs that sweet spot where the outside world seems to melt away. Writers and Inventors have been known to find it. Artists and Athletes frequently experience it.
Itâs been recognized for at least 30 years, but no doubt many people throughout history have made their way to this mysterious, yet accessible, state of mind. In 1990 psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of flow and described it as being in a âpeak experienceâ. He said, âthe best moments usually occur if a personâs body or mind is stretched to its limits, in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.â
Every day we encounter situations that offer us the chance to make decisions, create solutions, and find new ways of doing things. Every new challenge gives us the opportunity to learn and grow.
Learning techniques that lead to personal growth can put you on the fast track to where you want to be. But just what is personal growth? And where do you start? Well, personal growth is a process of developing yourself, and the skills, behaviors, and characteristics that help you to become the best version of yourself.
Self improvement is an ongoing process that, for most people, will last a lifetime. Thereâs always something new to learn and opportunities to advance yourself to the next level. One thing in life that is always constant is change. And change is the catalyst that propels you down the road of personal growth. The question is, how fast do you want to go?
