Simple Self-Improvement Tips for 2020

Are you looking to work on self-improvement in 2020? We are almost at the end of the year, and this is usually the time when people start to think about their goals for 2020. And it’s normally things like health, fitness, organization and finances. Those are probably the top four.

But what we really need to start with is self improvement. I did not really know what self improvement or self development was all about until about 2 years ago. And it has completely changed my life. So before you say you don’t have time – I’m here to tell you that I have 5 simple things you can do to start or continue your self-improvement journey in 2020. Those are things that will take a few minutes of your time and really easy to execute.

PERSONALITY TESTS

The very first thing that you can do to implement self-improvement into your life is taking personalty tests. I never connected the two. I love to take personality tests – it tends to do them whenever I come across one. I used to find mini-personality tests in magazines, and now they are very popular online.

They are a very easy and fun way to introduce personal growth into your life. And they don’t take a lot of time.

Those simple personality tests will give you ideas where you should start working. Because personal development is all about getting to know yourself. Often times, we think we think we know everything ourselves. We know our strengths, weaknesses, and bias. And we also think that we know how other people perceive us.

However, that is usually not reality. And taking those personality tests might reveal something about yourself that you did not know or were not fully aware of.

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How can they help?

In my case those personality tests have revealed that I’m definitely a people pleaser. I had some idea, that this was the case before I took the test. But I did not realize the extent of it. And just knowing that about myself, made a huge difference. Because I started to look at situations differently.

I used to try to please everyone around me. But often times, that ended up in failure. Because let’s face it. You simply cannot please everyone. Now, I look at things from a different perspective – mine. I ask myself: what decision will make me feel comfortable with the end result?

And that’s the idea with personality tests. Take them because they are fun and only take a few minutes. Here are some great ones to check out:

• Myers-Brigs
• Free Myers-Brigs based test
• Enneagram Test
• Free Enneagram based test

Try them out – I promise you will learn something new about yourself.

PODCASTS

The second tip to easily implement self-improvement into your daily life is through personal development is listening to podcasts. For me, this is the simplest way that I can learn something new.

Why?

Because you can easily listen to a podcast when you are doing a mindless activity. Think about things like folding laundry, cleaning your house, going for a run, or commuting to work. So technically, you are not investing any additional time out of your day to listen into personal growth. You are simply using your time a little differently.

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What podcasts to listen to?

The good news is that there are plenty to choose from. Here are some of my favorites:

• RISE Podcast
• Oprah’s Master Class
• The Tony Robbins Podcast 

But you will have to find ones that work for you. Because you can have two podcasts with the same message. But their delivery of that message is what makes the difference. Some of the podcasts will resonate more with you then the others – simply because they ‘speak your language’.

GRATITUDE JOURNAL 

The third simple way you can start working on your self-improvement in 2020 is through a gratitude journal. It is basically a daily habit of writing down things that we are grateful for that have happened on a given day.

For me, this is part of my morning routine. Each morning I write down 5 things that I’m thankful for. The idea is not to concentrate on things like health or family. These are things that we are grateful for every single day. But we want to find those smaller things.

Maybe you unexpectedly received a thank you note from your friend. Or perhaps a stranger smiled at you during your commute home from work. And while you were having a really challenging day, that smile improved your mood.

The reason why practicing gratitude is so powerful is because it will start shifting your mindset from negative to positive. You will start noticing that there area many things that are happening every single day that you are thankful for. And even on a really crappy day – there are still things to be grateful for.

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AFFIRMATIONS

The fourth simple thing you can implement into your day to incorporate self-improvement into your day is affirmations. These are positive statements that you read to yourself every day to help with your mindset.

If you have not done affirmations before, they might seem silly to you. I know I was one of those people who thought that affirmations were plain ridiculous. And definitely not something that I should be doing.

But when I started my personal development journey, I decided to give them a try. And I am amazing how powerful they are. So give them a try!

Getting Started

Start by finding the affirmations that are tailored to you and your current needs. You can find thousands of affirmations by a simple Google or Pinterest search. Simply search for the type of affirmations you are looking for. These could be: self-confidence, positive mindset, overcoming mom guilt, happy marriage, or financial freedom. You want to choose something that applies to your current struggles or challenges to help you improve.

For starters, pick about 10 of them that mostly resonate with you. Print them out or write them down and starting reading them every single day.

You will notice that when you do affirmations every single day, you will start believing them. I have learned that the things we say to ourselves are more powerful than I have ever anticipated.

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BOOKS

And the last thing that you can do for yourself when you are working on self-improvement is to read personal development books.

Whether you pick a personal growth book and read a few pages every day or listen to them on audible – it does not take a lot of time. Dedicate a few minutes every day to reading. Or you can listen to the audible the same way as we talk about listening to podcasts. While doing a mindless activity. That way you really do not have to find any extra time in your day to dedicate to personal development books.

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For me, personal development books are what started me on the self-improvement journey. The very first book I read was Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.

There are many great books to choose from. Again, find something that will speak your language. Here are some of my favorites:

Your Turn

Will you make self-improvement part of your goals for year 2020? I promise that personal development will not only help you grow as a person, but it will also help you accomplish the other goals that you set for yourself.