Often in our lives, something inspires us. And that inspiration strikes so deep that we’re left with a new determination to better ourselves as people in the world. But what exactly does that mean? How exactly can you become a “better person”. What feasible steps are there if any at all? Well, this article is here to help you out with all that figuring out stuff. Here are 21 powerful ways to help you become a better person.
1. Decide what kind of person you want to be
Everyone has a different definition of what a better person is. It all varies on our values and lifestyles and what we think is important in life. What is important to someone else might not be that important to you. This is why you need to clearly decide for yourself what kind of person you want to be. It is pretty vague to just say “I want to be a better person.”
But what exactly does that mean for you? What kind of person is a “better person” according to you?
To help you do this, you can check out our article on 3 easy steps on how to transform yourself into a better person.
2. Be comfortable in your own skin
Confidence is one of the key traits that most people strive for when they want to better themselves. It is important to not only constantly reinforce your own confidence in yourself but also do things that make you feel confident. Stop picking out all the flaws in your body, wear clothes that you like, don’t underestimate yourself or rob yourself of experiences because you internally feel like you don’t deserve them or won’t excel in them.
To find out in more detail, read our article on 9 steps to not be insecure anymore.
3. Think about what things you would like to improve
Be specific with yourself. As said before, saying “I want to be a better person,” is very vague. You need to think about specific things you want to improve. This will be easier to do if you followed through with step 1. Maybe you want to get better at an instrument. Maybe you want to dedicate more time to doing charity or volunteer work. Perhaps you want to work on your diet and fitness.
It can be anything, but as long as you think that it will serve you being a better person, you can make it work.
4. Learn how to set the right goals for yourself
So now that we have established what exactly it is that we want to achieve, how will we do it? How will we meet our goals or even set our goals to make sure we actually achieve them? If you’ve already got your goal making up to perfection and can do this part with a breeze, go ahead.
But if you need a little guidance on how to set the right goals for yourself, have a read of our in-depth article on 11 tips to set goals you will always achieve.
5. Exercise self-control
Self-control is a very helpful asset towards any kind of personal goal. But goals where you’re trying to rewire your lifestyle and habits to improve, it is crucial. You will need to work on your self control to prevent impulses that lead to bad decisions with harmful consequences.
Here are 2 easy ways you can exercise self control:
- Have a routine – have specific times prescheduled where you have to do something. It can be anything from reading to meditating to exercising. But have a specific time and make sure you show up to do it every single time.
- Restrict foods from your diet – maybe you’re going to restrict yourself to one chocolate bar every week. Or maybe you can only have water with your meals. Restriction is a better alternative than permanently cutting off and will heed you better results. By cutting off you’re more likely to ditch the plan completely but when you restrict, you know you’ll get what you want eventually you just have to exercise your patience and…you guessed it. Your self control.
6. Take pride in your appearance
By taking pride in your appearance, not only are you helping yourself become more confident but it’s a great way to throw in some self care and extra hygiene. It doesn’t have to be drastic at all, just try to look and dress in a way that you like and would be proud of!
7. Declutter your life
Having clutter in our lives can not only add to our stress situations but it can be really messy and untidy. Not only does everything look a mess but it can also make you feel out of control. Which is not an ideal feeling for someone trying to better themselves. It will also help you learn to detach from things that no longer serve you and let go of the past.
So declutter your living space. Donate as much as you can and throw away the rest. A clean, tidy and convenient living space will translate into your life as well.
8. Be grateful
Try to incorporate gratefulness in all aspects of your life. Be grateful for the meals you have. Be grateful for the clean water you can drink. Show gratitude for the roof over your head and the clothes on your body. Do it consciously if you have to and soon showing gratitude will become instinct.
By being more grateful it will make you appreciate the things you do have in your life more than you dwell on the things you don’t have. Not only will this make you happier but you’ll also become more humble and satisfied with your life.
9. Improve your communication
Communication is an essential part of human existence. Not only is it important to know how to communicate with our loved ones to make sure our relationships thrive but communication is crucial even in careers and workplaces.
If you want to know how to effectively improve your communication skills in detail have a look at our article on 9 guaranteed steps to become a better communicator.
10. Put yourself out of your comfort zone
By putting yourself out of your comfort zone, not only do you help get over some of your fears but you’re also giving yourself a chance to grow. Only when we step out of our comfort zones is when we really blossom. You’ll experience things you like and things you don’t like and you will realize the type of person you are and the type of person you want to grow to be.
11. Appreciate the people in your life
Take the time to appreciate the people in your life. Text or call some of the people you haven’t been in touch with for a while to ask how they’re doing. Make your loved ones a gift to show them how much you care about them. Send a card or just do acts of service to take the burden off your loved ones. The more you give selflessly (with boundaries of course) the happier you get.
12. Give back with your time
It is one thing to give with money but it is another thing to give back with time. So give back to your community or humanity with your time. Consider doing volunteer work, help out in charities and community service events. You could work at an animal shelter or take part in charity events. By giving back to humanity, not only will you learn to be more grateful but you’ll give yourself the chance to open up about what’s going around you and understand the world better.
13. Travel
Travelling is an amazing way to allow you to grow as a person. And I don’t mean luxury holidays at 5 star resorts. When you travel around the world or even to different places in your own country, you open yourself up to so may new experiences. It is an amazing chance for you to meet new people with fascinating stories to tell. Or learn about different cultures and experience a way of life different to your own.
Travelling expands our worlds. It is easy to sometimes get trapped in the bubble of our own lives and not see anything beyond that. Not only does travelling help us detach from a lot of the unnecessary baggage we find ourselves carry throughout life, but it also helps put things into perspective.
14. Learn a new skill
Skills are valuable no matter what the skill is. Whether you want to learn how to cook, play an instrument or even learn a new language, it is a great asset to have. Pick something fun and unique that you don’t have much exposure to from before and see how that works for you. Besides if you don’t try something new, how will you know if it’s for you or not?
15. Give time to your mental health
It is unfortunate how much mental health gets overlooked, however luckily, with more people spreading awareness to mental health things are changing. So it is time to check up on your own mental health. Now this can mean a lot of different things for everyone. Mental health is such an individual experience.
For some people, having a day off to indulge in some self care will do the trick. For others, it is worthwhile to try and schedule regular sessions with a licenced therapist – even if you’re not necessarily suffering from a mental illness. Whether you choose to journal or take part in other activities, find some way to not only check-in but also take care of your brain.
16. Meditate
Meditation is a great way to calm your mind and your thoughts that will help you improve your focus and your emotional management long term. If you struggle with a lot of intense emotions that interfere with your focus and productivity, you might want to consider practising manifestation and mindfulness.
If you want to learn more in detail about meditation and how to do it properly have a look at our article on meditation to help calm your mind.
17. Be more self-sufficient
Independence and self-sufficiency are amazing traits to have. It makes you stronger as a person and prevents other people from taking advantage of any dependency. So whether it is learning how to properly do household chores, becoming independent in terms of finances or even learning how to do day to day tasks on your own, having independence isn’t something you’ll regret.
18. Educate yourself about the world
Being educated and saving yourself from ignorance will definitely make you a better person. By being open minded and aware of things outside the circle of your own life you’ll become a much more considerate, humble and well-informed person. All traits that are rather attractive to the majority.
You can read the news, learn about different cultures, watch documentaries or even movies from countries and cultures you’re not used to.
19. Be kind to yourself
Being verbally abusive to yourself isn’t going to take away your insecurities, or make life any easier. In fact, it only makes them worse. Being mean to yourself reinforces to your subconscious that being talked to in that way is something you deserve. This can lead to increased insecurities, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness and even depression.
Assign a rule. Before you say anything at all to yourself, ask yourself: “Would I say this to my friend?”. If the answer is no, then don’t say it and instead ask yourself “What would I say to a friend if they were experiencing what I am experiencing.”
The truth is, you are your own friend. And the same way your relationship with your friends would be toxic and poisonous if you spoke to them badly – your relationship with yourself is being poisoned.
20. Happiness is a mindset, not a destination
Often, we like to think that happiness is a destination we will reach after a list of conditions of what our life needs to be is met. We’ll be happy after we get that job. We’ll be happy after we find a partner. Maybe we’ll be happy after we move into a new home. But happiness cannot be a destination because otherwise, it’ll be one you’ll never reach.
There is nothing wrong with having aspirations and goals. We can be happy while continuously working for our goals. Some people get afraid thinking that if they let themselves be happy in their current situations, their situations will never improve. That is far from the truth.
The world is always changing, it is impossible for our world to remain stagnant. Things will change whether you want them to or not. So allow yourself happiness while the world around you changes for you. You don’t have to find happiness in big houses or shopping sprees. Find happiness in the ice cream after dinner or the cuddles from your dog.
21. Reevaluate your morals and values
Sometimes it is necessary to reevaluate the things that define us as people. Our morals and values determine our limits and boundaries. If we don’t have our morals and values set for us, it can be very easy for people to manipulate us or violate us in ways we’re not comfortable.
By sitting down and deciding for yourself what is right and what isn’t, you can set better boundaries for the people in your life to protect yourself and respect yourself.
