If your life isn't getting any better no matter what you do, then you have reached a plateau that you must break through if you want to start seeing positive, long-term changes.
It is very often the case that we try and we try, and as far as our level of effort, we should be a smashing success. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, something isn't clicking into place, and we aren't seeing the desired results.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results, then here is a quote to keep in mind:
Self Improvement 101:
"If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten!"
Here is a list of 6 ways that you can kick-start your self improvement efforts, and you only have to do them for 15 minutes each day.
Here is the key, though: You have to do them for 15 minutes each day, and you have to do this for 7 days in a row.
There are 2 points to this exercise:
- By doing something consistently for 7 days in a row, you will come to believe the very important truth that when you consistently apply yourself to something over and over again, you will come to understand and appreciate the sheer power of your will, and then you will be unstoppable.
- By taking 15 minutes of your time every single day for 7 days straight, you will also come to understand that by consistently taking the time to work towards your goals, there will be measurable results, even with just the quick, 15-minute time expenditure.
Depending on your goals, your measurements might be obvious, such as weight loss, or a positive financial or career advancement. For other goals, it may be something more along the lines of a measurable increase in your level of confidence, an idea for an effective action to take, or maybe just a sense of peace or focus that allows you to excel in your future endeavors.
In any case, I challenge you to do this exercise for 1 week straight, and to really put your heart into it. By taking any one of these suggestions and giving it an honest, 100% effort for 15 minutes each day, 7 days in a row, I guarantee that you'll bust through your self improvement plateau!
Research
Most people don't know what they don't know because they don't know what they don't know!
Did you get that?
In other words, ignorance is bliss. Spend your 15 minutes every day learning from quality sources about your area of interest. Don't just randomly search at Google, or even read your favorite blogs. Pick one area of your life that you want to improve, and find one or more quality, reliable sources of information about it, and delve deeply into it for 15 minutes every day. Be sure to take notes about any actions that you are taught or inspired to take.
Quality Time
Many people have heard of "quality time" with regard to their relationships, and if relationship success is one of your goals, then you could certainly use your 15 minutes each day for that activity. Spend that entire block of time dedicated 100% to your significant other, with zero distractions. If you don't have a significant other, then spend those 15 minutes every day writing out the qualities that you want in a potential mate, or even writing out your future relationship "success story".
You can use the quality time tool for things other than relationships as well. Sit down in front of a piece of paper and spend 15 minutes every day writing down every single thing that comes to your mind about whatever self improvement goal you have. Write down all of the positives and the negatives that come to mind about your goal. Before long, you will start to see a pattern develop that will help you to figure out which actions you need to take to succeed.
Exercise
If your goal is health or weight loss success, then obviously exercise is something that should be part of your daily routine. Lose the completely inaccurate belief that exercise needs to be done for hours in order to be effective, however. If you do quality exercises at the proper intensity for 15 minutes each day, 7 days in a row, you WILL net measurable results. Check out Fitness Destinations or Workout Pass for more info.
Also, exercise is NOT just for people who want to lose weight. The mental and personal productivity benefits that regular exercisers have access to are well documented. You can crank up your level of success in life by engaging in regular exercise, even if you don't want or need to lose weight.
Visualization
Visualization is not some "woo-woo" practice that only Law of Attraction junkies take part in. It does not matter what your personal belief systems are; the act of visualizing is something that you do in order to feel wonderful about your goal, and to put yourself in a state of mind that helps you to focus on what steps you need to take in order to attain that goal.
Visualization should be done 100% without distraction. Sit comfortably and in a quiet environment, or alternatively, listen to music that really helps you to "feel" what it will be like to have what you are visualizing for. If you are inspired to take any specific long-term or short-term action while you are visualizing, then do so!
Scripting
Scripting is basically the art of writing out what you want your life to be like. You write about your "perfect life" from the point of view of having already achieved it, and you don't need to be an accomplished author in order to do this effectively.
Simply sit down and write out - in great detail - what your life will be like once you have attained your goal. Use lavish words that describe a world where you are mindlessly happy, and paradise would pale by comparison. Really get into the exercise and have a good time while you're doing it. If you run out of things to write about, then spend your 15-minute segments reading and thinking about what you previously wrote. Be sure to really allow yourself to feel yourself in the world that you have scripted.
Meditate
The benefits of meditation have been so well documented that I will not use any time here to rehash those concepts. Meditation can be used as a tool to take yourself to another level of success, and it can be a powerful process if you are stuck and can't seem to move forward in your self improvement efforts.
In a nutshell, meditation is time when you don't actively think about anything in particular. Ordinarily, we have a difficult time NOT thinking about our lives, including our successes and our perceived failures. When you meditate, you give yourself time - 15 minutes in this case - to just let go and not worry about anything at all. By doing so, and releasing your attachment to your day-to-day concerns, you will often experience epiphanies which are "light bulb moments" when you are able to see things with an extreme level of clarity and a sense of purpose.
For more about visualization, scripting, and meditation, be sure to check out the Manifest a Miracle audio program.
BONUS: Put 5 (or 10) on It
If you think that you want to make a consistent effort towards your self improvement plans, but staying motivated or on track is a problem for you, try one of the most tried and true methods: Bribery.
Find a location where you can "stash some cash" and make a deal with yourself that every time you give your 15 minutes an honest effort using one of the above systems, you'll pay yourself $5 or $10 for that time.
At the end of the 7 days, you'll have accumulated either $35 or $70, and it is yours. You earned it! You can blow it on something completely frivolous, and then repeat the same process the following week, only for 20 minutes each day, then 25 minutes, 30 minutes, and so on. Stop when you get to a comfortable amount of time that you want to dedicate to your self improvement efforts on a daily basis, and then just maintain your new habit.
Keep going at that rate, and you'll soon be officially "self improved," and you will have rewarded yourself for every step of the journey as well!
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