The internet is crawling with self improvement hacks, so many of them offering good advice from experienced voices.
But before you enter the world of self improvement, don’t make a to-do list of things aimed at making you a better person. Instead, hack the things in your life that are keeping you from being who you truly are – the good inside that can’t get a breath because of all the junk keeping you down.
The deeper truth about self improvment is that you don’t need to improve yourself, you need to free yourself. You’re not a person who needs to get “better,” you’re a human who brings a ton of wonderful/powerful things to the table.
You’re awesome. I’m not saying that to artificially pump you up, or emotionally manipulate you. You carry things that are unique – life changing things that should not be kept on a leash.
In the history of the world, there has never been, nor will there ever be, another you. Own it.
But you’ve taken on habits, thoughts, perspectives, etc. that keep you and your gifts from free-range expression.
With that in mind, following is a carefuly curated list of self-improvement hacks, aimed specifically at freeing you to be who you already are.
Let Your Brain off its Chain
Do you rely on the failures of others to make yourself feel better? Do you compare your possessions or achievements to those around you? Does it give you a lift? If your mind has become addicted to the behaviors of others, soothing itself by comparing you to people who aren’t as smart, wealthy, attractive, etc., it’s holding you back.
Comparing yourself to others is like chaining a ten pound ball to your ankle and running up a hill. You’re still the same person when you reach the top, but you’re tired – a cranky, uninspired version of yourself. Remove what’s holding you back and you’ll reach the top faster, in a far better mood.
When it comes to comparing yourself to others – tell your brain “no!”
It’s difficult to do, especially for those of us who’ve been doing it most of our lives. But when we get rid of this rat’s nest, we make room for thoughts and ideas that truly matter.
Right now, add this to your list of self improvement hacks. It’s difficult, and requires a ton of maturity and intentionality, but it’ll change everything.
For example, it’s impossible to be thankful when we’re convinced that so-and-so has more than we do, or looks better, or has cooler friends. And it’s impossible to be happy without some level of gratitude for the life you’re living. Clearing your mind of this muck and clutter gives you more space for the good stuff.
You’re the gatekeeper of what enters your brain. Gaining control here is difficult because it requires saying no to thoughts that feel good. But the good feelings come at great cost to your freedom.
Our minds are like muscles, the more we exercise them, the stronger they become. Saying no to our brains, when appropriate, is the best way to free them, and us, from the negative thoughts that are holding us back.
Self Control Hacks – There’s No Improvement Without Them.
Nobody loves a good party more than I do, and for this middle-aged cajun, there’s nothing like a super strong cup (or 5) of coffee in the morning. But nothing screws up sleep like booze and coffee, and nothing makes you a crappier version of yourself than any level of sleep deprivation.
People tell me all the time that the human body flushes out caffeine in a few hours. I don’t believe it. In my experience, caffeine, just like any other drug, builds up in the body – two weeks of consistent coffee drinking, even one cup a day, can cause huge problems.
I don’t know any regular coffee drinkers, and/or fellow partiers who don’t struggle with getting enough sleep. If you’re in that boat, beg off of coffee and booze for a month and report back here – dollars-to-donuts it’ll make a difference.
But there’s a deeper problem that so many of us struggle with. We’re not drinking/eating/whatever too much because we like it.
We’re addicted.
We might not be considered alcoholics, overeaters, or whatever, but us Americans are too attached to these things that are continually making a bee-line for our pie holes.
Self improvement doesn’t happen without painful hacks to our self control. One of the best hacks is to get in the habit of telling our bodies “NO!” on a somewhat regular basis.
Rest assured, the more you tell your body who the boss is, the easier it gets to tell your body who the boss is.
But that’s difficult. Our addictions don’t like being told what to do. They have one sole purpose, to make us a miserable version of ourselves. While they’re tough to break, it doesn’t take long to get some control. A month away from whatever you’re addicted to will remove most of its power, leaving you a stronger, healthier version of you.
Show me someone who’s good at self control and I’ll show you someone who’s good at life. I don’t know anybody who’s gained some victory over their addictions who isn’t the better for it.
Least of all, it didn’t kill them.
Sorry, there’s no List of Self Improvement Hacks that Doesn’t Include Exercise.
Some say that pain is weakness leaving the body – I say pain is comfort and hope leaving the body. Exercise sucks. It takes time. It hurts. It’s discouraging.
But wrapping ourselves in a soft, squishy layer of cellulose is the quickest way to put the brakes on a good life. Almost everything about us changes as we put on weight – we undergo physical, mental, emotional, possibly even genetic changes that aren’t conducive to happiness and freedom.
Conversely, if you’re overweight/out of shape, exercise is the quickest, easiest path to a better you. In the world of self improvement hacks – this is a big one.
I’ve had some victory here, and learned a few things that’ve made exercise a ton easier.
A couple of years ago, I decided to work out, almost every day, for an entire year. I lost over 30 pounds and found myself living with an all-around better disposition. I haven’t kept up that regimen, and have reduced my workouts to a few times a week, but exercising consistently for a year created a fundamental shift in how I think.
I’m not afraid of it anymore.
I also learned that, if I commit to working out for five minutes, I’ll work out for 30. Every time. Something happens to my will power when I get the blood flowing, so I tell myself “only five minutes.” When that five minutes is up, I decide whether or not to keep going. Turns out that it’s easier to make a decision about working out when I’m sitting on my exercise bike than when I’m lying on the couch in my bathrobe surfing Netflix.
When I’m not exercising, exercise feels like a bad idea.
It seems like there’s a force in the universe that wants us to be a substandard version of us – grumpy, tired, boring, unispired, and gives us an immediate reward when we bow to it’s whim. It feels good to say “No!” to self control.
Conversely, when we do good things, we feel like crap in the short run, feeling much better in the long run..
Either way, exercising is an exercise in getting rid of stuff that gets in the way – fat, low energy, a sickening love of comfort, and an overall spoiled soul. It’s the fastest way out of a bad attitude, and the quickest way to strengthen your body, mind, and ability to be happy.
To sum it all up, you’ve got tons of resources at your fingertips aimed at self improvement, but the hacks listed above are non-negotiables, common to the hordes of people in our world who’ve become better versions of themselves.
Research the internet to your heart’s content, make a good list of the things that you think might help, and go for it. But if self control, positive thinking, and exercise aren’t on your list, you won’t get far.
