What do we do when one day we notice that we’re treading water in our lives? What do we do when we feel it’s time to wake up, to rise above ourselves? Where do we start? How do we go about it? Here are 6 powerful steps to achieve the kind of self-improvement that will get your life moving!

1 – Set goals, but not just any goals

Surpassing yourself means getting your life moving, and more specifically, all areas of your life.

Indeed, surpassing yourself is not just about doing sport, it’s also about getting your professional, love, friendship and personal life moving.

In fact, when we feel the call to surpass ourselves, let’s take advantage of it to put life back into everything.

But how can we do this? I invite you to take a sheet of paper and make 7 columns: professional life, love life, social life, family life, health, hobbies, dreams.

And, for each column, ask yourself: “And if this year I surpassed myself, what would I like to do differently?”

Don’t put any limits on yourself, and don’t take things too seriously either.

In fact, have fun, dream big, dream colorfully. Because that’s the secret to happiness.

2 – Plug your ears and take action

Now that you’ve got your goals, don’t do what everyone else is doing. Do it your own way and at your own pace.

Because this is your life.

In other words, cover your ears, because you’ll soon be hearing advice from some and criticism from others.

This desire, this need to surpass yourself is yours. So don’t let anyone make you doubt yourself.

So, when you feel that others are making you doubt yourself, take action.

In fact, the secret to surpassing yourself is to stop thinking and therefore stop doubting. In fact, the secret is to do, and therefore gain, a little more self-confidence every day.

3 – Finding a team-mate, a valuable asset when overtaking yourself

However, other people are not always obstacles when we want to surpass ourselves. Some can even be our allies.

That’s why you should ask around to see if other people feel this call to surpass themselves.

If so, then team up, put up a united front.

If not, don’t worry. When the time comes, you’ll find people who share your vision. Trust us.

4 – Work on your “self-improvement” action plan

Now that you have your objectives, and know the difference between those who will support you, and even those who will become your team-mates, and those who will make you doubt yourself and whom you need to dodge, it’s time to really take action.

For that, you need a plan. A clear, precise and solid plan!

So, go back over what you listed in the first step. Then, for each column, choose something you like, something that resonates with you, or something that seems easiest or most urgent to achieve.

Turn this into a goal. Normally, that makes 7 goals.

Now, take another sheet of paper and make 7 columns again. In the column heading, write down your 7 goals.

Then, for each one, list at least 2-3 ideas for actions you could take to make progress on the goal in question.

Then, for each of the 7 objectives, choose an action. The one that seems the most fun or the easiest.

In other words, at the end of this exercise, you have 7 goals and 7 actions.

7 goals, 7 actions, 7 days in the week. Do you understand what I’m getting at? Now it’s your turn!

5 – Create a reward chart

Surpassing ourselves is a moment that makes us feel euphoric, but that quickly makes us tired, stressed and even bored.

So, now we’re going to set up things that motivate! And there’s nothing more powerful for boosting motivation than a rewards chart.

In concrete terms, I invite you to take some writing implements and list at least 15 ideas of things that could be great rewards for you.

Try to come up with some free rewards, some paid rewards, and even a few completely crazy ones.

Example: play video games for 1 hour, watch 2 episodes of your current series, eat nutella puffs, treat yourself to an item of clothing, get a massage and go to Disneyland.

So, write down at least 15 ideas, but it could be more. A lot more.

Then rank them in order of “ease” or “free”.

Finally, on your schedule, plan a small reward twice a week. Try to vary.

Then, at the end or beginning of each month, plan a bigger reward.

And, at the end of the year, plan the biggest reward of all.

Because surpassing yourself isn’t about hurting yourself. It’s about making an effort, getting out of your comfort zone, sweating, learning, falling down and getting back up again.

But it’s also about doing yourself good, with great rewards and, above all, with that feeling of pride and self-confidence boosted like never before.

6 – Apply THE golden rule of self-improvement

Indeed, there is one golden rule, and one only! Never give up and always start again.

Because surpassing yourself is a real adventure, with ups and downs. With moments when we drop everything, because we’re fed up or exhausted.

When that happens, we rest, then start again! Again and again.

Because the only cause of failure is giving up. In fact, as long as you don’t give up, as long as you start again, then you’re on your way to surpassing yourself and achieving your goals.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to become more perseverant and achieve your goals: 10 tips
Discover How to stay motivated over the long term: my 10 powerful tips

In addition, I recommend this inspiring book:

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

The author delves into the whole question of mindset and how a person’s beliefs about his or her abilities can have a profound impact on success and personal development.
One of my passions being to change the way we think and help others, I’ve found a source for many questions I’ve been asking myself for a long time. A great book and very well written!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

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

Take care of yourself.