The difficult situations that arise in our lives can lead us to feel defeated. In these cases it is important that we focus on overcoming the crisis, however big it may seem. Self-improvement is something that depends on you, not on the circumstances. Even if things don’t turn out the way you imagined they would, there is always something to gain and learn.

In this article we’ll see some tips for self-improvement that can be really useful when facing a crisis. We also review some concepts linked to self-improvement.

Keys to Maturing as a Person

First, let’s look at some fundamental psychological concepts to understand what personal development is all about.

1. Resilience

Resilience is a very recurrent psychological construct in the advice of personal improvement. It is about the capacity that all human beings have to overcome adversity and in turn gain from it.

A resilient person, therefore, is able to bring out the best in himself in difficult times and to nourish himself from that experience.

For example, when we are going through a break-up, when we have lost a loved one, or when we have financial problems, resilience enables us to move on and overcome it properly, having internalized valuable learning from that process.

2. Stoicism

The word stoic refers to the demonstration of our capacities and virtues to get ahead, even if the circumstances seem adverse. A stoic person, therefore, will not create additional problems when difficulties arise , but will simply accept the experience.

Stoics are people who do not shrink from challenges, look them in the face and deal with them in the best possible way.

Clearly, the stoic has some resilience, and vice versa. Because they are similar concepts, they often tend to get confused, so it is important to be clear about the difference between one and the other.

On the one hand the resilient is a subject that is going through a difficult situation, and has the will to get ahead.

The stoic, on the other hand, does not necessarily have to be in a difficult situation , he is simply someone who decides to accept the challenges that are presented to him with the firm conviction that he has the capacities to overcome the obstacles that these challenges imply.

An example of a resilient person might be one who lives under conditions of poverty, for some reason, but regardless of that, he or she personally overcomes it and manages to have a better quality of life.

On the other hand, a good example of a stoic person can be an athlete, who in spite of having in front of him others with more experience, and in theory better prepared, does not feel afraid to compete against them, because he has full confidence in his personal abilities and does not give in to anxiety .

Keys and tips for self-improvement

Now let’s look at a list of tips for self-improvement that can be very useful in encouraging your emotional growth and maturation, and making you a resilient and stoic person.

1. Visualize yourself succeeding

This technique is widely used in therapeutic processes with high performance athletes , and has very good results. You can use it to obtain the same results in your daily life.

It consists of taking a few minutes a day, could be between 10 and 15, to go to a quiet place where you have no interruptions. Once there, you get comfortable, lying down or sitting down, close your eyes and begin to visualize yourself achieving your goals.

You have to see the whole process, from the moment you start doing what you want to do, to the moment you get it . This will help you to feel more comfortable on the path you will have to take to achieve what you are looking for. This is one of the easiest self-improvement tips to apply.

2. Find out about your goals

Information is a powerful tool for achieving our plans. The more and better informed we are about what we intend to achieve, the more likely we are to succeed.

3. Be constant

Constancy is one of the ingredients that cannot be missing from the recipe for success . If every day we set out to have a winning attitude, there will come a time when it will become part of our personality and everything else will follow.

Take small steps every day that bring you closer to where you want to be. If you’ve set out to read a whole book, whether you read 50 pages a day or only 5 pages, the important thing is to keep reading every day.

4. Develop your ability to progress

Once you have formed the habit of having a winning attitude and being consistent about what you want to achieve, it is time to build on these steps.

This means that if you have already achieved the first part of your personal undertaking, it is time to go for the next goal , without staying in your comfort zone. Ascend to the next level immediately and face the challenges.

For example, if you’re going to the gym and you’ve already mastered a certain weight, it’s time to start increasing the weight in a controlled way and maybe with a little help at first, until you reach a new goal.

5. Develops self-motivation

This aspect, although the latter, is one of the most important. Self-motivation is an engine that drives us to success .

Give yourself the encouragement you need to reach your goals, don’t expect others to always believe in you. If you have people’s support, that’s fine, but you should always keep in mind that you are your own biggest supporter in this race to succeed.

A good exercise for this could be, every day when you wake up, to look at yourself in a mirror and concentrate on the person in front of you, and then say three positive things about them and tell them that they have the necessary abilities to succeed.

Bibliographic references:

  • Padesky, C. A.; Mooney, K. A. (2012). Strengths-Based Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: A Four-Step Model to Build Resilience. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 19 (4): 283–290.
  • Richardson, G. E. (2002). The metatheory of resilience and resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 58 (3): 307–321.