10 Practical Self-Improvement Tips

Are you someone who is looking for self-improvement tips? If you are someone who wishes to grow, improve yourself and become a better person, we have a lot in common. I’m passionate about personal growth and want people around me to live a successful, better, and happier life. Here’s a compilation of my top 10 practical self-improvement tips to improve yourself.

You’ll notice that some of the self-improvement tips that I’ve mentioned here are easy and you can quickly incorporate them into your life. On the other hand, some of these tips will require a conscious effort.

Let’s dive in.

1. Read, read, read!

Books provide a wealth of knowledge. You understand more and more about the world as you read more. Books are an excellent source of information.

I recommend reading books that will help enrich yourself. Here’s a list of top 5 books I suggest you read:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R Covey
The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Design Your Life: Build A Life That Works For You by Bill Burnet

These books will truly transform you into a better person.

2. Do something new

The most common suggestions that come to my head are learning a new language, starting a new hobby, taking up a new course…basically anything that elevates your skills.

My main languages are Hindi and English. Out of interest, I started learning Punjabi and realized that learning a new language and understanding the culture is a mind-boggling experience!

If that’s not something that interests you, you should start with an old hobby or pick a new one. It could be anything from playing golf to cooking.

If you’re someone who wants to be smarter, I recommend taking up a new course that’ll help you gain knowledge in your area of interest. Start with workshops and seminars before signing up for a long-term course. This way, you’ll be able to gauge your interest early and sign up for a course you really feel passionate about.

The same rule of thumb that applies in video games applies in our lives — you constantly need to level up.

As a writer, I make sure that I take up new courses to improve my writing. Think about what skills can you work on and start from there.

3. Overcome your fears

This is one of the most commonly overlooked self-improvement tips. We all have fears but we must overcome them in order to grow. Instead of running away from them, you should start seeing them as a compass for your growth.

Your fears are waiting to be addressed and once you do, you will be able to grow into a better and stronger person.

If you have a fear of water, take up swimming lessons. It’ll be hard but once you get the hang of it, you’ll conquer it in no time.

4. Start your day early

Waking up early has worked for Robin Sharma and Anthony Robbins and I’m quite sure it’ll work for you too.

While waking up at 4-5 am isn’t really necessary, I believe waking up at 6 am will improve the overall quality of your life.

If you go to sleep by 10-11 pm and wake up by 6 am, you’re increasing your productivity hours. You have ample amount of time to get a headstart and collect your thoughts.

I’ve made it a habit to not look at my phone for an hour after I wake up. I like to sit down with my cup of coffee, plan my day, write my to-do list and water my plants. This helps me stay relaxed and focused throughout the day.

5. Acknowledge and work on your flaws

We all have flaws and the best thing we can do about them is to acknowledge, understand, and work on them.

Flaws if not addressed properly can make you unsuccessful in the longer run. A few examples of common flaws are:

Spending time with the wrong kind of people
Being a part of poor/unhealthy relationships
Daydreaming and procrastinating
Constantly thinking/talking negatively
Not taking proper care of your physical, mental, and emotional health

Resolving your flaws is one of the most effective self-improvement tips.

6. Let go of your bad habit(s)

In order to live a productive and healthy life, you need to quit your bad habits. Here are the most common bad habits that people generally have:

Stress eating
Nail-biting
Hanging out with people who criticize too much
Being late
Hanging out with unappreciative people
Smoking
Excessive drinking
Being glued to the TV
Consuming junk food
Consuming excessive red meat
Being in unhealthy relationships
Concentrating on the negatives

The consequences of some of these bad habits can be deadly. The good news is that you can quit them.

7. Learn from the people around you

Think about your friends, family, and people that you admire or inspire you. What are the qualities that you wish you had?

As humans, we all have a set of good and bad qualities and we can pick up other people’s good qualities.

Spend quality time with your loved ones and learn from their mistakes, experiences, and adventures. Seek their advice and I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help and support you.

8. Start journaling

This is by far, the most effective self-improvement tip you’ll ever come across.

Journaling is an excellent method to self-reflect and be aware of yourself.

Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you gain clarity and a deeper sense of who you are, what you want and how to achieve it.

Today, journaling is no longer limited to a pen and paper. In fact, you can even start a personal blog or download apps such as Day One, Diarium and Five Minute Journal.

9. Meditate

Meditation will help you become calmer and more mindful. You can start with a few minutes of meditation every day to see the difference.

You’ll feel liberated, fulfilled, and have clarity. I recommend using the Headspace app if you’re just starting out.

10. Commit to your personal growth

I can write articles with 20, 30, 50 or even 500 self-improvement tips to improve yourself but you’ll never be able to improve yourself if you’re not serious about it.

You can only change yourself if you’re committed towards it. We’re all responsible for our own personal growth and not anyone else. Not your parents, not your friends or me.

You need to make a decision and commit to it. Understand that the path to change and growth is a life-long process and will require constant efforts.

You might not see immediate results but I guarantee you will in the longer run.