Sometimes, we get caught up with everyday life and get stuck in a routine. We find ourselves in a stasis, unsure of how to move forward for the better, despite our wanting to change something within our lives.

Figuring out how to improve yourself can seem like a wildly big and vague task. I mean, where do you start? How do you start? Is it even worth starting? (Yes.) My advise to this question? Start simple.

WHO ARE YOU?

The first question you should try to answer in order to help change your life is who you are at this current moment. "Who are you right now?". I believe that a way you can find out "who you are right now" is though logging and observing past actions, and drawing conclusions based on your actions. Your daily actions can share a lot about you. Since we can sometimes become stuck in routine everyday, we fall into the trap of not really thinking about what we do on any given day- meaning that we aren't really stopping to examine our actions and what information they could be sharing with us.

LOGGING YOUR ACTIONS:

Create a list that shares everything you've done and haven't done recently. This list could be based on what you did all day yesterday, all last week, all past month- the time frame is really up to you. The same goes for how detailed you want to be when logging your actions, as how comprehensive and detailed you make your list will provide you with better insight into your life. An example is provided below!

NOTE: Make sure to write each bullet on the list in the present tense to make this exercise more effective!

Example:

[insert name]'s Actions: Yesterday (8/23/21)

I wake up at 10 a.m.

I do not make my bed

I eat two bowls of cheerios with milk

I clean up after my meal

I walk my dogs around the block

I tutor George in science

I arrive to work on time

I purchase my daily coffee during my lunch break

I eat chips and drink water for my snack at work

I do not gossip with others

I visit my friend's house for 3 hours

I submit my expense report 10 minutes late

I skip dinner and eat an ice cream for dessert

I ride my bike for 1 mile

I play games on my phone for 2 hours total

I practice guitar for 30 minutes

I binge watch Game of Thrones at night

I go to bed at 2:00 a.m.

Okay done with step 1! A decently comprehensive list I think, right? Now on to step two.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

On a separate paper, create a list that has the title of "who do you want to be?". Within this list, use adjectives to describe who you want to be. Note, this list is to not describe who you are already, (although is very possible and expected for you to have adjectives listed that describe both who you are and who you want to continue to be). Instead make this list focused on who you want to be and who you want to continue to be. For Instance:

Example:

WHO DO I WANT TO BE?

Kind

Ambitious

Presentable

Organized

Well-Spoken

Thoughtful

Sociable

Caring

Healthy

Productive

Creative

Time Efficient

I'm sure you were caring before you made this list, but still put in on the list because that's what you want to continue being. Maybe you don't think you are that creative, however. This would also be something you'd place on this list because it's what you aspire to become.

LOOKING AT THE DATA:

Refer to your first list, the actions you wrote down. Next to those action statements, write down what adjectives come to mind when you read them.

Example:

[insert name]'s Actions: Yesterday (8/23/21)

"I tutor George in science": Caring, helpful, thoughtful

"I practice guitar for 30 minutes": Creative, productive

"I skip dinner and eat an ice cream for dessert": Unhealthy, convenience-based

"I go to bed at 2:00 a.m.": Unhealthy, unproductive,

"I visit my friend's house for 3 hours": Sociable, outgoing

NOTE: Use/make up your own words if you can't find or don't know an adjective to help describe what you see. Remember, this exercise is to help you!

DRAWING A CONCLUSION AND SOLUTION:

Take a look at the adjectives you you wrote down next to your action statements and the adjectives you wrote down under your desired traits list? How similar are your words? For example, I said I wanted to be healthy in my desired traits, but when I take a look at my action statements, I find that particularly when I eat I am not being very healthy. What can I do in my current life to change how I eat to become healthier? Additionally, I found that I am being sociable when I hang out with my friends. Since being sociable is something I value, I will continue to hang out with my friends.

You can also look for larger trends through looking at all of your actions together. For instance, I mentioned in my desired traits list that I would like to be more efficient with my time. Do my daily actions I wrote down reflect that I am truly being efficient with my time, or are there specific areas in my life that could be improved to overall change my daily time efficiency and productivity?

Finally, with this new information, circle the actions that you want to improve on, and write next to them what you want to change them with. Write next to the new action statement what desired traits you would be putting into effect if you changed your past action to the new action.

If you want to add to the list at any point in time, go for it! Be sure to write what desired adjectives you would be fulfilling to ensure you are making progress with your daily actions!

There is always a way to start becoming a better version of yourself, just take it one step at a time and always look forward. I hope this technique may be of use to you!

Thank you to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson for being the inspiration of this article.

Edited: 8/23/21