A Better You Blog

Life teaches you many lessons. While one person hides from the truth like an Ostrich sticking its head in the sand, another seizes each opportunity and soars above the crowd. You can break free of the entanglements of your past, stay focused on the opportunities and experiences of the present, and accomplish any goals you set for your future. There is a delicate balance to living happy, healthy, successful, and free. With dedication to personal development you can manage this balance and create a better you.

My youngest child (1 year old) just learned how to walk. As parents, we knew she was strong enough, but after only a few steps, unsure of her ability, she would drop to her hands and knees. This process repeated itself again and again, each time teaching her that she could do it. She took mores steps and learned from each attempt, until one day she mustered up all her courage and took off. What joy she expressed at her success! Life is like that. You learn from baby steps, taking it moment by moment, and growing in confidence along the way.

It is important to learn from life’s lessons, but what you learn is almost as important as the lesson itself. Parents naturally encourage the child taking these first steps, cheering them on, but what if they discouraged the child instead? What cruel person could even imagine doing this to a baby, but consider how often you do this to yourself.? Do you set yourself up for failure? Self-sabotage is one of life’s biggest hinderances to achievement. You must grow in confidence to live successful and happy.

Personal development means always seeking to improve. So why strive for a better you? Because life has many lessons, and what you take away from every moment will help determine the future you will have, whether you will lead a life of regret or fulfillment. You may have heard the saying from a former Harvard professor (George Santayana) that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Learn from life’s history to be a better person.

Have you ever had a teacher who, despite 20 or so years in the teaching profession, has no classroom management, is unorganized, or makes class boring? As a former teacher, my goal was to inspire my students to leave class daily with an even greater desire to learn. Teachers who drain their students of energy rather than fill them up with excitement are stuck in a rut: rather than 20 years of teaching experience, they have one year of teaching experience repeated 20 times.

Is your life like this? Do you feel stuck in a rut, repeating your days or years over and over? Jump over your hurdles and break free of your repeating loop by taking steps each day towards a better you. Do you need to work on your focus, goals, and determination? Are your priorities out of balance with your actions (do you spend enough time on what really matters to you)? Are you a good friend, do you anger easily, are you overwhelmed with stress and worry? If you can find one area for change (a neverending quest), the next step of striving for your best is to have a plan.

Remember trying to sort through a huge pile of old papers? As you try to tackle the pile, piece by piece, you soon realize it has dwindled. No longer so daunting, you gain new energy, and sort even faster. Personal development can be like completing a large task. Sometimes what seems impossible or insurmountable can be overcome by focusing on one small area at a time.

Decide right now to spend a few minutes each morning in preparation for the day. Improving yourself requires dedication, courage, and persistence. By making the commitment to change or improve one aspect of you everyday, you will soon see that the journey of a thousand miles really does begin with one step (Lao Tsu)- and you will be the person you want to be, confident in who you are and how you live your life.