Application Story 12: Self Improvement: A Personal Growth Path

The other day I was watching a program in PBS about Benjamin Franklin’s life. They were talking about Self-Improvement, using Benjamin Franklin as a great example. That got me thinking about personal growth and self-improvement, and inspired me to do more research. So here is what I would like to share with you:


About Benjamin Franklin’s life…

“He was born into a family of seventeen children as the son of a poor candle and soap maker. He had less than two years of formal education and began his young adulthood entirely on his own in Philadelphia. Yet he became a wealthy man by eighteenth century standards and one of the most respected intellects of the Western world.  He was a model for the rags-to-riches story of the self-made man. Franklin's entire life reflected his belief in self-improvement, and from adolescence until his death at eighty-four, he worked constantly to improve his mind, his body, and his behavior”.

We can see that he is a great role model to start thinking and working  in our self-improvement skills. By doing that we will be able to adjust the way we think and the way we act, to achieve success in our personal and professional lives.

Let’s deep dive more into the terms self-improvement, self-growth and self-help:
This is very popular nowadays. Also it is part of leadership competencies companies use to motivate employees looking for success in their career and personal lives. Moreover, we can find many books about these subjects and many websites too. It seems that people are turning inside to find the solution to their problems. They seek knowledge, techniques, workshops, lectures and teachers who can show them the way. People begin to understand that self-improvement and self-growth improve the quality of life.

How does this work? Experts say that as humans our subconscious mind is one of the major keys to self-improvement and self-growth. By changing the contents of the subconscious mind we change our habits, behavior and attitudes. This is brought about through visualization, affirmations, meditation and by analyzing behavior and habits.

In the next lines you will read want I found about the process of inner change; but before taking any action remember that this requires inner work. It is not enough to read, we have to practice what we read, and this needs time and effort.  Any inner change takes time, and there must be motivation, desire, ambition, perseverance and dedication. The desire to change, build new habits and improve must be strong enough to resist any laziness, desire to give up and the ridicule or opposition from family, friends or colleagues.


What can we do to start our self-improvement process?

1. Look around you and watch how people behave in various circumstances. Watch the people you meet at home, work, at the supermarket, on the bus, train and on the street. Watch and learn also from people interviewed on TV, and also from movies.

2. Watch how people talk, walk and react, and how they are consequently treated by others.

3. Pay attention to the way people use their voice and how they react to others' voices. Watch how you feel and act when people shout or speak softly. Watch what happens when people get angry, restless and upset and what happens if they are calm and relaxed.

4. If you do not like what you see, analyze what and why you do not like it, and then analyze your own behavior to find out whether you behave in the same way. Be honest and impartial in your analysis.

5. If you discover that you manifest some of these undesirable traits of character and behavior, affirm to yourself often, that every time you manifest these traits or behavior, you are going to be conscious and aware of them, and do your best to avoid them.

6. Play in your mind a mental scene of how you would like to behave. Repeat it several times a day, every day.

7. When you detect in someone a sort of behavior or character traits you like and desire to possess, try to act in a similar way. Here too, visualize several times each day a scene, where you act and behave in that different way.

8. You can also decide to change some habit and behavior patterns and develop new ones, because you believe they are necessary and beneficial, even without seeing them in others first.

9. Think and visualize over and over again in your mind how you would like to act and behave. Constantly remind yourself of the changes you desire to make, and strive to act according to them. Every time that you find yourself acting according to your old habit, remember your decision to change and improve, and act accordingly.

10. Do not be disappointed or frustrated if you do not attain fast results. It does not matter how many times you fail or forget to behave as you desired. Persevere with your efforts and never give up, and you will begin to see how you and your life change.


Action Item:

Keep In Mind…

1. The quality of your life depends to a large extent on the quality of your inner emotional and mental life. If you are lazy, worry too much and afraid to try new things, you stick to the same spot. If you are not afraid to change your thinking, your life will soon change accordingly. Your habitual thoughts and the content of your subconscious mind determine your behavior and the way you act in the world.
2. When you change the way you feel and think, you ultimately change your inner vision, actions and behavior. This causes your outer life to change accordingly.
3. What else could we do to improve ourselves every day?

Enjoy!