Self improvement. The path to freedom

Self improvement- conscious and systematic work on oneself in order to form certain properties and qualities.

Self improvement does not come spontaneously. It begins with understanding oneself and one's place in the surrounding world, attitudes towards the world and the values ​​accepted in it, finding discrepancies between these values ​​and the inherent properties and qualities of the individual.

Self-improvement (or self-improvement) - necessary condition human development. The mechanisms for the implementation of self-improvement are internal (natural needs, inclinations, desires, etc.) and external (social - the desire for happiness, comprehension of truth, freedom, property, etc.) incentives.

The driving force of self-improvement is the emerging needs of the individual. The latter appear, as a rule, not earlier than adolescence, because the process of self-improvement requires a certain development for the emergence of an idea about the need to change oneself.

There are three main forms of self-improvement:
- adaptation ("bringing" oneself under certain norms and requirements);
- imitation (copying a certain model or part of it);
- self-education is the highest form self-improvement.

The main factors that encourage a person to engage in self-education:
- the desire to recognize oneself as a person;
- examples of others;
- assessment of others;
- right organized process education.

Self-knowledge is the study by a person of his own physical and mental characteristics. It allows a person to look at himself from the side, evaluate his qualities, actions and thoughts. Self-knowledge should take place in a calm, favorable atmosphere, otherwise it can lead to inadequate self-esteem (overestimated or underestimated). Self-education and direction depend on self-esteem practical action.

For practical actions for self-improvement, many people chose a motto for themselves. For example: “The dream is achieved through hard work”, “Conquer yourself if you want to defeat others”, “Go ahead and do not give up”, etc.

To work on yourself, you need to draw up a program of self-education. A self-education program can be developed for the purpose of self-education different parties personality (complex) and may involve self-education of any one quality.

Self-education programs are differentiated into long-term or short-term, general or detailed.

It is better to start with simpler programs (for example, overcoming any trait or quality), gradually moving to their complication.

Achieving the goal during the implementation of the self-education program is possible with the use of a number of self-education methods.

Self-improvement, provided that self-analysis is carried out correctly, is continuous process. The more a person improves, the more he realizes his imperfection. But this is not a reason for refusing to work on yourself. In this regard, Salvador Dali wrote: "Strive for perfection, but you will never achieve the highest perfection."

The perfection of concrete personalities leads to the perfection of the surrounding world as a whole.

Each person would like to be an ideal for others or for those people whose opinion you care about, not everyone succeeds. In order to strive to become an ideal, one must constantly improve oneself. Believe me, it is not as easy and not as easy as it might seem at first glance. Take, for example, the stresses and troubles that are an integral part of human life, not everyone is able to overcome these obstacles with a “smile on their face”. It is necessary to train your willpower, character and be resistant to everything that can happen. On the one hand, this seems to be a complex process, and on the other hand, character and personality as a whole are nurtured. For example, while studying at the institute, I could not understand the basics higher mathematics. This surprised me, because there were no problems with this science at school. I gathered all my will into a fist and decided to sit over textbooks and notes until I got positive results. My torment lasted about a week (day - study at the institute, night - knowledge of higher mathematics), in the end I received excellent result and the remaining 1.5 years after the end of the course, I did not know any worries. The conclusion is that if you really want to get something in life, you need to improve yourself. What exist ways of self-improvement?

Self-actualization - the process by which a person realizes his potential in various forms activities and behaviour. It includes the desire of the individual for self-improvement, and the development of abilities and inclinations, and the process of using already acquired knowledge, skills and abilities. Self-actualization essentially helps a person become what he can and should be in this life. The self-actualizing personality lives full life able to embody their ideas and skills, their internal potential into a product of activity. She develops her virtues and eliminates her shortcomings, strives to live in harmony with her convictions. Self-actualization is a manifestation of the deep, natural morality of the "image of God" in man. The success and completeness of self-actualization depends on the development of self-awareness, human empathy, reflection and worldview.

Self-improvement is determined by the interaction of a person with a particular social environment, during which he develops in himself such qualities that give success in professional activity and in life in general. Consequently, self-improvement is a personal-social phenomenon. It can unfold throughout the life course.

Self improvement is a conscious process of increasing the level of one's competence and development significant qualities in accordance with social demands and personal development program. Having reached a certain level of self-development, a person acquires the ability to manage current events, form good and open relationships with others, achieve success in professional activities, be a competent and competitive person, and perceive life in its entirety.

The process of self-improvement is based on internal mechanism overcoming contradictions between the current level of personal growth ("I-real") and some imaginary state ("I-ideal"). The sources of self-improvement are in social environment, moreover, the requirements should be somewhat higher than the available capabilities of a particular person. Only in this case there are prerequisites for self-improvement in the form of internal contradictions, the result of the resolution of which is about the process of purposeful development of one's own personality.

The goal of self-improvement is never achievable, it slips away like a horizon line. Therefore, there is no limit to the development of personality.

Ways of self-improvement of the individual

Self-improvement is a conscious and continuous work on oneself. This process includes the improvement of acquired skills, qualities and inclinations, which corresponds to life goals person. As a basis for self-improvement of the personality, psychology considers the function of adaptability of the highest nervous activity under the conditions in which a person lives and develops, as well as his ability to self-esteem. The motives for striving for the ideal may be different. This includes love, professional and material incentives, interests, and ideas and beliefs. Self-improvement of the individual is impossible without observing several important conditions:

• introspection, i.e. comparison of oneself with others, introspection, self-esteem, self-criticism, etc.;
• a program for self-improvement;
• Willpower and temperament.

It also happens that many people do not know how to achieve their ideal, or simply do not want to do it, because. a state of stability without any movement towards development suits them. In addition, there are other problems of self-improvement of the individual. They are studied by such a science as acmeology. It is in charge of the patterns of human development in the period of maturity and upon reaching the most high level improvement called acme. In other words, the acmeological foundations of self-improvement of the individual lie in the active creative activity, self-development, self-education and a great desire to achieve them. The main properties of the "acme" of a person are his creativity (as an ability to create) and professionalism. That is, a creative focus on creative activity.

Ways and means of self-improvement of the individual

Structurally, the process of self-improvement consists of the following stages:

• self-knowledge (awareness of one's capabilities, one's strengths and weaknesses through self-observation, introspection, self-assessment);
• self-motivation (use of motives and methods of internal stimulation for professional and personal self-development);
• programming of professional and personal growth (formulation of self-improvement goals, determination of ways, means and methods of this activity);
• Self-realization (implementation of a self-improvement program; self-realization as a way of life).

At all stages of improving your personality, it is important to maintain a stable positive motivation and try to get rid of cognitive limitations in relation to your personal capabilities.

Thus, the mechanisms of personal growth are: self-knowledge, self-motivation, programming of professional and personal growth, self-realization.

The starting point of personal growth, self-education of a person is the choice ideal - a model to which you would like to be equal. It could be special person or a collective image. The presence of an ideal-model is the root cause, the impetus for self-education.

Self-education is understood as the active and creative attitude of the individual towards himself, the "completion" of himself, aimed at improving certain personal qualities, neutralization of the "imperfections" of his personality. The start of self-education, personal growth is self-knowledge. Researchers of the problem of self-education and self-education (A.A. Bodalev, A.I. Kochetov and others) introduced the concept of "self-cognizing activity", which emphasizes the complexity of this process, its deep psychological resonance: a person must identify and verbalize (say out) his imperfections and strengths. Methods of self-knowledge are: introspection, introspection, self-attitude, self-esteem.

The possibilities for personal development are endless. Physiology confirms that a person is able to change himself with active work above oneself. Academician I.P. Pavlov considered man as the only system in the world capable of self-regulation and self-education: Education, if it is not violence, is impossible without self-education. Self-education presupposes a certain level of personality development, its self-awareness. The need for self-education is especially clearly revealed in the transitional period of personality development, namely in adolescence.

One of the most important qualities personality required in modern world, - the desire to achieve success.

A person whose stable characteristic is the desire for success does not become so in one day. The desire for success or lack of initiative is the result of education. The mechanism of formation of such opposite qualities is shown in the concept of "learned helplessness" proposed by the famous American psychologist M. Seligman.

This process is a conscious control personal growth, learning new knowledge and skills, modeling behavior, which should be traced in all areas of life. This is an essential attribute of every day lived in an effort to become better.

Ways of personal development

THE TERM OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT IS CONTINUOUS WORK ON YOURSELF.

This process includes knowledge of the world, improvement of acquired qualities and skills that correspond to life goals. Psychologists argue that the basis for self-development is the function of adaptability of human nervous activity to the conditions in which each individual develops. Since the motives and abilities for self-esteem are different for all of us, the goals of self-development can also be different: spiritual interests and beliefs, material wealth, professional development, etc.

Almost all books of self-development and self-improvement systematize the following conditions for starting work on oneself:

• conducting self-analysis and self-observation in order to compare yourself with others and identify "weak" places;
• goal setting for self-development;
• developing a program to improve one's personality;
• manifestation of will and strength of character.

Ways of self-improvement

Considering the specific directions of self-development of the individual, it is possible to identify several main ways of this process:

1. Improving morality

This process is somewhat similar to the methods taught by teachers - laying down the norms of tact, politeness, the concepts of good and bad. Undoubtedly, all this knowledge remains relevant throughout life. However, the older a person becomes, the more serious situations he has to get into. moral values and landmarks are no longer divided into "black" and "white", so you often have to engage in psychoanalysis and be as objective as possible, find the right solution.

2. The development of the mind is another direction for the self-improvement of the individual

Learning new skills and knowledge not only makes us erudite specialists, but also very interesting interlocutors anywhere, anytime. In addition, this is a great help in old age, because a trained mind does not lose its sharpness and concentration.

3. Aesthetic self-improvement

This process involves the study of the highest values ​​of society and art. Visits to art galleries, museums, exhibitions, theaters form personal opinion and taste. Do not think that if you were not born into a family of landscape painters and are not a connoisseur of art, then you will never be able to appreciate musical masterpieces or artistic canvases.

4. Development of physical form

This way of self-development and self-improvement of the personality involves keeping the body in good shape and in harmony with emotions. In addition to the medical benefits for the body, physical training make you feel more confident and love yourself.

5. Professional self-development

In the context of the rapid growth of technical capabilities, the adaptation of society to new ideas and values, it is necessary to maintain competitiveness in the labor market. A competent, creative and self-confident specialist is worth its weight in gold. Therefore, the purpose of such self-improvement is to develop qualities and skills that are useful for professional activities.

Thus, we have considered the main ways of personal self-development that will help you find your purpose in life and become better every day you live.

Many people once begin to think about self-development, and many, despite the upcoming difficulties, embark on this path and achieve certain successes, change themselves and change the world around them. Someone, not finding support and having gone a few “steps” along the path of self-improvement, turns off it and returns to former life. It is understandable, we are embarking on the path of self-development in order to better cope with life problems, but on the way we meet more more problems, and we are faced with the need to create these problems ourselves.

The path of self-cultivation is indeed difficult, it involves getting necessary knowledge, an enormous investment of time and effort. And if you decide to embark on this path, try to remember one great truth: “The one who walks will master the road,” and you will also master this road, the main thing is to keep walking. Yes, difficulties are inevitable, but overcoming them, you will become stronger and wiser, and in the future, setting goals for yourself, you will begin to achieve them effortlessly, receiving only joy and pleasure from this. Here are ten simple-looking self-improvement tips that, if followed on a regular basis, will close the distance between you and your highest good.

1. Greet the day wisely

Get up as early as possible, exercise, eat a hearty breakfast. The earlier you get up, the more things you can do during the day. If you decide to make your life as full of positive things as possible, make it your rule to get up earlier than usual, force yourself to get out of bed and exercise your body. Morning exercises will help you fully wake up, disperse the blood in your body and increase your level of activity. Well, a hearty breakfast will charge you with energy for the whole day ahead. We remember the age-old wisdom: “Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a neighbor, and give dinner to the enemy,” and we try to follow. Are any of you following this wisdom? Perhaps breakfast for most of you consists of a cup of tea or coffee and a sandwich? Try changing this approach and see what happens.

2. Make a schedule and follow it

Try to stick to your schedule. This will allow you to solve more of the tasks before you during each day. It's best to make a to-do list ahead of time. evening time so that you devote your entire next day to solving them, and not thinking about the tasks that need to be completed. Get a special pocket notebook in order to be able to carry it with you everywhere without the risk of forgetting about the tasks that need to be completed. As you complete a task, mark it off on your list. If you can’t complete all the tasks during the day, it doesn’t matter - just move them to tomorrow. But, this evening you will be able to analyze why you failed to complete your tasks and what you can do tomorrow to increase your efficiency.

3. Don't forget to rest

If you spend too much time on your own affairs, if you sit at the computer for a long time or exhaust yourself physical work, this can lead to burnout and many other negative consequences for your physical and mental health. Understand achieving your goal for you the most important task, however, spending all your time on it, and forgetting about elementary rest, is too unreasonable. Think for yourself, by working incessantly, you are depriving your body of the opportunity to rest and gain strength, and, no less important, yourself of the opportunity to comprehend the current circumstances and the effectiveness of your actions in the current conditions. Who knows, maybe what you are doing now has already ceased to give results, and you have long been able to climb a step higher. Find time to relax and have fun, chat with friends, travel, just think about where you are, where you want to go and how you want to get there.

4. Be generous

Try to be kind and generous with other people. Generosity does not necessarily imply the ability to share money, but a smile, good advice, kind word and helping people. Whatever you give into this world, you get multiplied - this may seem like a very naive idea, however, for most people it happens. Try to help the people around you. No one knows what will happen in a year, five years or ten, perhaps that's when you yourself will need help, and the people you helped will be more willing to help you overcome difficulties. In a metaphysical sense, the process of giving also has great meaning, giving, you create within yourself a feeling of abundance, which tends to multiply - this is familiar to those who believe and follow the principles of the law of attraction, about which many words have been said on our website

5. Accept what you can't change

Almost everything that we encounter in our lives, we try to change. Don't like the size wages- we find another job or start working even more. We do not like the arrangement of our house - we rearrange furniture or repair. We do not like our appearance - we are trying to somehow smooth out the flaws. We don’t like the behavior of the people around us - we try to change them, tell them what can be done and what cannot be done. In a constant attempt to adjust the world for ourselves, we forget that there are things that cannot be changed, and trying to change them, we are faced with disappointment, worries and depression. By learning to accept what we cannot change, we will become much more happy people and we will begin to cope with problems an order of magnitude faster, so that our efforts will not be wasted.

6. Learn new languages

Study of foreign languages is one of them better ways improve understanding mother tongue. In the process of studying, you not only replenish your vocabulary and improve your knowledge of the grammar of your native language, but also give a task to your brain, which ultimately allows it to work even better. In general, knowledge of foreign languages, especially English, which is international language, will help you quickly navigate in another country if you are going there on vacation or will be sent on a business trip. Agree, it is much more interesting to communicate with people from other countries in their language than to express your thoughts through gestures that you do not fully understand. One feature should also be noted: more languages you learn, the easier it becomes for you to learn new languages, in part because better work your brain, due in part to the similarities of many languages.

7. Eliminate routine

Try to be a little more versatile person. Don't let your life become ordinary and boring. Try something new, and do something new whenever the opportunity arises. Choose a different route for going to work, another cafe, restaurant or club for rest. Gathered in a grocery store - choose another store, and it does not matter that it takes a little longer to go to it than to the one you usually go to. Do something new every day, get new experience and new knowledge, expand your horizons. Remember that your brain is able to store an unimaginable amount of information and solve the most challenging tasks so use it, develop your abilities. Everything you learn from this stage your life, may or may not be useful in your later life, but the very process of eliminating the routine from your life can bring a lot of pleasure and joy.

8. Face your fears

There are so many fears in the modern world that entire books are written to describe them. Each of us is afraid of something, someone of the dark, someone public speaking, someone condemned by other people, someone is afraid to look stupid. How large quantity fears you have, the more difficult it becomes for you to live a full life. But it doesn't really matter what you're afraid of, what matters is how you deal with your fears. Do you obey their will, or do you challenge them day by day? The point is that only by facing your fears can you overcome them. Therefore, every next day, do what you do not want to do, what makes you uncomfortable, what makes you afraid. If the fear is too strong, try to cope with it gradually, "meter by meter" expanding your comfort zone.

9. Live in the present

Often, when we reach our goal, especially when it takes us not days, but months and years to achieve it, we begin to experience a feeling of emptiness. We complete our journey in the place that we have been dreaming about for so long, and we cannot understand where is it, the long-awaited happiness? After all, we thought that having reached the top, we would finally find happiness, but instead, we seemed to be losing part of something important, elusive and imperceptible. Our dreams of a goal prevent us from seeing and knowing the joy of the present, because the feeling of happiness depends not on whether we are where we want to go, but on how we feel about where we are. this moment. It is not the goal that is important, but the journey towards this goal - this is what should bring you happiness, and this is what you lose when you finally reach it. Set goals and achieve them, but do not forget about the present moment, life does not stand still, and it would be too unreasonable to deprive yourself of the joy of life here and now for the sake of a moment of glee at the moment of achieving the goal.

10. Stop procrastinating

For many people, it is common to put aside their affairs and “feed breakfast” to themselves and their loved ones. “I'll do it tomorrow,” we say to ourselves, sit down on a chair, turn on the TV or DVD, and “rewind” several hours ahead. Not infrequently, the next day passes in the same way, until procrastination becomes our habit. Laziness grows to unrealistic proportions and in the future it becomes difficult to force yourself to work. If you know this situation firsthand, it's time to pull yourself together and take control of your life. Think about what you want to achieve and consider how much time you would like to spend on achieving those goals. And right here and now make a decision to plan your work, leisure and entertainment. If today you intended to work, then even if your hands do not rise, and your mood is at zero, still force yourself to work. Promise yourself an incentive prize for your efforts and visualize your goal to increase motivation, organize yourself and develop self-discipline, it will pay off handsomely and bring you more joy and satisfaction than sitting on the couch and watching TV.

When embarking on the path of self-improvement, you were most likely aware that the path would be difficult and thorny, that you would encounter many obstacles along the way, and solve, at times, extremely difficult tasks. Don't deviate from this path. Hold on and move forward as you fall, force yourself to get up, and keep going again. Let it go slowly, the main thing is to follow the intended path. Many people give up and turn off the path to early stages this difficult journey, and you hold on. Become stronger, stronger than yourself, so that every time you look back, you notice how much the one you were just recently is different from the one you have become now. Good luck on your path!