Seeking self-improvement, wanting to work on oneself is necessary, vital even. Indeed, self-improvement is the only way to move forward in life, and therefore to be happy. But how can you work on yourself effectively and powerfully? Here are the 8 best habits to put in place right now to develop yourself personally, and thus become happier in life.

1 – Meditate

If our lives lack so much clarity and serenity, it’s because we don’t take enough quiet time to take stock, refocus and soothe ourselves. That’s why, when we decide to work on ourselves, we need to learn how to meditate.

So, first of all, don’t think you need to meditate like the great Tibetan sages who have been meditating for over 30 years. In fact, just 5 minutes of meditation will bring you many benefits: greater inner peace, greater clarity, reduced stress and anxiety, greater patience and therefore greater tolerance of others…

Then allow yourself to explore different ways of meditating until you discover the one that suits you best. It could be meditating with audio support or music, or in silence. It could be sitting, on the floor, on a meditation cushion or on a chair. Or it could be meditating while walking. Have fun discovering what works best for you.

Then make a commitment to meditate for at least 5 minutes a day, starting today! Will you?

2 – Exercise to work on yourself effectively

Physical activity is essential for a happy, healthy life. In other words, playing sport is part of effective and powerful self-work!

So, first of all, playing sport doesn’t have to be difficult. Like going to the gym or running. In fact, it’s perfectly possible to do something gentler, like brisk walking, yoga or swimming.

Then, if you’re not used to doing sport, it’s a good idea to start small. That means setting an initial target of 1 hour’s exercise a week. Then, gradually increase. It’s a good idea to aim for between 3 and 5 hours of sport a week. After all, it’s the key to a healthy lifestyle.

What’s more, taking part in sport improves our self-discipline. In other words, we become stronger physically, but also mentally! So, what are you waiting for?

3 – Read self-help books

When we start working on ourselves, we’re first and foremost looking to improve our qualities and skills, such as self-confidence, communication, self-discipline, serenity…

That’s why reading self-help books is such a good habit to get into. Because everything you’re going to want to improve about yourself is already written down. Yes, there are already methods and even life stories that will enable you to move forward more surely in your learning process. You’ll be able to avoid certain mistakes and make faster progress thanks to advice.

I advise you to read for at least 30 minutes every day! Every day so that you don’t forget your objective, which is to work on yourself, and so that you don’t get lost in procrastination and distraction. Your goal is to work on yourself, so work on yourself a little every day. That’s the secret to success! What do you think?

And if you don’t like reading, there are personal development videos and even online training courses.

4 – Start a diary to work on yourself methodically

This is one of the habits that helps me work on myself the most. In fact, my journal, more than a diary, helps me to focus on my work, my progress and my mistakes. I don’t think I’d have as much self-discipline without it. And self-discipline is really the quality you need to cultivate if you want to work on yourself.

So, I invite you to start a diary or journal and write in it every day, and maybe even several times a day, to take stock of your work on yourself: what have you learned? What mistakes have you made? How can you improve tomorrow? What can you congratulate yourself on? In what situations do you need encouragement?

This diary, far from being a tear-jerker as diaries can be, will enable you to do some very powerful work on yourself. You’ll learn to understand and know yourself better. What do you think?

5 – Getting up earlier

This habit is for you if you have a tendency to get up at the last minute in the morning, under stress and in a bad mood. In fact, understand that the first 10 minutes of your day are the most important. In other words, if you spend them grumbling and stressing, chances are your day won’t be as pleasant as you’d like it to be.

So the key is to get into the habit of getting up a little earlier. This can be as little as 10 minutes earlier, but more if we feel the need or desire.

Understand that working on yourself takes time. Just like anything else in life. Because it’s the way you use your time that makes you happy or unhappy in life.

6 – Gratitude thoughts for powerful self-work

Here are two key moments in the day when it’s very powerful to practice gratitude. The first is during the first few minutes when you wake up. Still in bed, close your eyes and make a list of the 10 things you’re grateful for in your life. The second key moment is in the evening, just before going to sleep, with your eyes closed, make a list of the 5 things you liked about your day.

Because working on yourself means first and foremost working on your thoughts. To bring joy and happiness into them! What do you think?

7 – Adopt powerful mantras

This is one of my favorite habits! Because I find it particularly powerful. Adopting mantras for specific situations in your day is overpowering.

Here are a few personal examples. One of the first things I worked on in my life was my tendency to grumble. The mantra that helps me when I hear myself grumbling is “I breathe in the positive, I breathe out the negative. I breathe out the negative.”

Then I also worked on my impatience. For this, my mantras are: “I have time” and “I’m in the right place doing the right thing”.

So, depending on what you decide to work on, adopt a tailor-made mantra! Because words are very powerful. As you’ll see!

What’s more, you can also decide on a mantra each morning that will follow you throughout the day. Personally, I find it very powerful. It’s transformed my life.

8 – Simplify your life and refocus to work on yourself for the long term

Working on yourself takes time, which is why if you don’t simplify your life and your daily routine, and if you don’t know how to refocus, then working on yourself will be all the more difficult, if not impossible.

So, above all, understand that working on yourself is your priority in life. Because if you don’t improve yourself, then your life can’t improve. Everything starts with you! You are the actor in your life.

So, if working on yourself becomes your priority, rearrange your schedule. Because you won’t be able to do everything. What’s more, you may well be doing a lot of things that have no positive impact on your personal development or even your well-being.

Simplify your life and keep only what is essential to your growth and development. What’s more, learn to refocus on yourself, on what’s important. In other words, learn to say no, learn to cut out, let go of and put aside everything that doesn’t help you move forward.

To do this, understand that your life is your masterpiece. You don’t have time to waste on things that aren’t essential to you. What do you think?

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Successful change: the 4 mistakes that prevent you from changing
Discover Leaving everything behind to change your life: 7 questions to ask yourself beforehand

I recommend this inspiring book:

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Hollis shares her personal struggles and triumphs, providing practical and motivating advice for women to overcome their doubts and pursue their goals.
Our Dreams.
I think the real genius of this book is that the author wrote it because she really wants to help others. She wants us to live our lives to the fullest. And she’s so passionate about empowerment. That passion can only motivate you to make changes in your life to become who you want to be.
The author teaches you life skills to help you achieve what you dream of.
The book is not only informative, it’s also very hilarious. Rachel has a lot of wit and her funny stories will make you laugh.
The underlying message is the same for everyone: you deserve to be happy!
Great book!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself