This is a guest post by the fabulous Lucy Rose.

As Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Self-improvement is the development of self-awareness, allowing you to change your habits, build the best version of yourself, and as a result, enhance your quality of life. However, it is not a quick fix, and takes continuous and honest effort. Through the help of coaches, books, and communities, you can get what you need to foster self-improvement. The first step starts with you. Invest in a coach, read books, gather a supportive community or combine these steps to help improve yourself. But first, determine what needs to be improved.

Looking into the Mirror

One of the best steps towards self-improvement is to self-reflection. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are some unresolved issues that have played a pivotal role in how you go about your daily life? The key to engaging in self-reflection is to be completely honest with yourself. It can be easy to let ego get in the way of seeing what areas of yourself can be improved. It’s important to develop self-awareness and set goals for potential growth. Self-reflection sometimes involves others as well. Asking friends and family for feedback can give insight to how others perceive you. It is always easier to focus on the good aspects of one’s self rather than the negative. However, a key factor in self-improvement involves a careful focus on responsibility.

Learning to be Accountable

Taking responsibility means having accountability not only for your actions, but for your life. Going forth in improving yourself, you have to mature. Stop blaming other people or situations for misfortunes and negative outlooks on life. Life is unfair and although you could have been the victim and those feelings and thoughts may be justified, where does blaming get you? It only leads to resentment and powerlessness blocking you from living a more fulfilling life. In the end, your life is about you, not them. Reclaiming this power will only make your life better.

Accepting responsibility also accepts emotions as a part of daily life. Acknowledge your emotions, the positive and negative. No one can be happy all the time. Thus we have to make sure we realise what actions we are taking when we feel emotions. Taking responsibility of your emotions and being honest with yourself allows you the opportunity to improve yourself.

Responsibility over one’s action and mind means a variety of things. Having a consistent sleep schedule, eating healthy, exercising regularly, avoiding toxic influences, reflecting on one’s self. One of the most important realisations of taking responsibility for your life is having integrity and credibility for yourself and for others. You can’t take responsibility if you do not follow through with actions you determine will improve your life. It’s important to stick to your word. This will help you stay focused on your goals and ambitions. By taking responsibility for you own initiative, responsibility for your own success.

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My purpose is to help 1 million people by 2020 to live the lives they desire. To help people find happiness and become better organised and more productive so they can do more of the important things in life.

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