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Common Themes Found in Self-Improvement Books
Walk the walk, rather than talk the talk
Start now
Seek improvement and don’t be shy of change
Overcome false mindsets that may hinder you by changing them into new ones]
Learning is a life-long journey
Turn mistakes into learning opportunities
Understand what you can and cannot control
Law of Affection
Positive Thinking
Solving roots of problems rather than put a bandaid
Being proactive
Goal Setting
- Not concrete day planning, but have weekly definite goals you want to reach
Understand your true purpose in life, and work towards it while still being content in the present
Synergy
Script
If you just want to hear the advice, skip to this time. If you want to enjoy the video-essay experience, just keep watching.
Self-Improvement. Of course you want to be the best version of yourself, but sometimes it’s just hard to gather the motivation to do so. Whether it be due to an excessive amount of stress or expectations, having to break up with your significant other, or maybe even little things throughout the week that have just been adding up, the list goes on and on.
However, by watching this video, you’ve already taken your first step. I’m not some highly-trained therapist or someone who’s extremely successful, but I’ll share with you some of the common themes mentioned within the various self-improvement books I’ve read so far. Having started on the self-improvement journey myself, I’ve been seeing some recurring messages in the various books I’ve read. Without any further ado, let’s dive right in.
Introduction
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Think and Grow rich. Limitless. The Code of the Extraordinary Mind. Books like these have the power to single-handedly change a person’s outlook and purpose in life, but sometimes, people just don’t have the money, motivation, or time to sit down and enlighten themselves on what these books have to offer.
If you’ve been curious as to what invaluable knowledge these self-improvement books contain, then look no further. In this video, I’m here to discuss 11 recurring advice that I’ve been noticing while reading my fair share of self-improvement books. Without any further ado, let’s get on with the first idea.
- Apply these Ideas Into Your Life
The first piece of advice, which is arguably the most important, is to APPLY the stuff you read about in your own life. If you want to truly see change in your life, you have to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. You can read hundreds of books about self-improvement and productivity, but if you don’t apply any of the information you learned into your own life, all of it will just go to waste. “But what can I apply if I haven’t read any books?”. I mean, there’s still 9 other ideas to go through ;)
- Discover Your Purpose in Life
Before starting the road to self-improvement, have a clear understanding on what kind of life you wish to live. Make sure your ideal life is truly what you want, not what your parents, spouse, or any other external factor that isn’t you wants. By truly being passionate about your destination, you’ll naturally have the desire and motivation to work towards it. For example, since I want to become financially independent and start my own revolutionary business by the time I’m 30, I’m eager to learn new skills and adopt new mindsets that help prepare me for this goal. If you have the time, I would recommend reading “It’s Not About You” by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It’s only 96 pages, but it can really shift your perspective on life for the better, and help inspire you to truly live. So, what do we do once we figure out our life purpose?…
- Be Proactive
Instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity to come and drastically change your life, be that change instead. If you’re wasting away your life doing things you have little to no interest in, the only person who can spark drastic change in your situation is yourself. You have a choice to either continue living on like you always have, or take that first step towards pursuing your dreams. Not sure where to start? Hmm, I wonder what you could do…
- Weekly goal setting
A good way of being proactive is to set weekly goals to work towards your end goals and overall purpose in life. End goals are the final achievements we desire, and most of our goals are only attempts to satisfy our end goals. For example, a goal of becoming a millionaire could satisfy one’s end goal of financial freedom. A good first step is to define the different categories in your life, and think of goals for each category. For example, when setting my weekly goals, I try to think of 1-2 goals for my school life, my self-improvement, my hobbies, and my relationships with those close to me. Then, once the week is over, reflect on your progress and set some new goals for the first week. I especially like weekly goal setting since you’re given a more flexible deadline to accomplish your goals, so you can either cram the time you spend working towards them or spread it out throughout the week. To complement weekly goal-setting, you should also…
- Set up good habits
Incorporating productive habits throughout the day can help you slowly but surely reach your goals. On top of creating good habits, it’s important to try and cut down on the bad habits you’re probably guilty of, and use that free time you have now on better habits. For example, as soon as my day starts I begin my morning routine, a series of easy yet effective habits that prepare me for the day. Furthermore, by having uncomfortable habits like taking a cold shower or working out first thing in the day, I’m able to exercise my willpower, helping me have better self-control over any temptations. Picture this: for the past 5 days you’ve built a streak of going to the gym before work, but today your laziness gets the better of you. How should you feel, knowing that you ruined a productive streak out of pure laziness?…
- Be okay with failure
If you don’t reach your goals, don’t resort to beating yourself up or complaining about the external factors that may have influenced your defeat. Instead, view the experience as a learning opportunity to find weaknesses in your character, and think of ways you can cope with it. Then, by using your emotions as your fuel, you can come back even more prepared with your newfound learnings and determination whenever the next opportunity arises. Success and failure are merely labels, and it’s our decision on how we interpret it. However, what happens if you keep making the same “mistake”?
- Solve roots of problems rather than the symptoms
Sometimes, we tend to deal with the side-effects of an underlying problem and pay no attention to what’s causing it in the first place. It will take some creative thinking to identify the root cause of your problems, but it’s way more effective than slapping a band-aid onto a cavernous wound. For example, if you’re always finding yourself being neglected or manipulated by your friends, your underlying problem would be the way you choose your friends, or the environment you’re in. However, as much as we may want to solve all the problems in our life, we must remember one thing.
- Understand what you cannot control, and make do of what you can control
By knowing what is in and out of your control, we can put our effort solely into things we can change. The effort you put into a resume for your dream job is within your control, but the choice of the employer to hire you is out of the question. Instead of worrying about the anticipated outcome, just be realistic and appreciate the work you put in to stack the odds in your favor, and as noted in idea 6, learn from your failures. “But I can’t do that, I’m not good enough”…
- Detoxify your mindset
To discover our true potential, we must disregard any limiting beliefs we have on ourselves. Most of the time, when we think we aren’t good enough to do something, it’s just our fear of change or fear of being judged that’s speaking. Why should you be scared of doing something that can potentially change your life for the better? Who cares if one person doesn’t agree with what you have to say? It’s time to free yourself from your invisible shackles, and live the life you want to without any regrets. For if you don’t, you’ll end up in an unnoticeable but life-threatening trap…
- Complacency
Complacency has become more prevalent as we surrender our dreams and ideas to the endless amount of instant gratification provided by our phones. It wasn’t until a few months ago where I picked up my first book, and realized the lame life I was living; whether it be through excessive amounts of time scrolling through TikTok, binge-watching anime, or playing video games, I was wasting away my precious time on activities that provide no progress towards my goals. Instead of discovering my true goals and desires, I was stuck in a vicious cycle of pleasure. I’m not trying to say that partaking in such activities is bad, since they’re still a part of my everyday life; instead, I just want you to look at how you spend your time on a daily basis, and determine whether you’re okay with that. Wanting to be more productive, I’m currently rocking an extended pomodoro technique where after 1 hour of deep work, I can relax my mind with some entertainment. So, when you finally seek change and free up some time for yourself, consider the last idea out of these 11…
- Learning is a lifelong journey
Adding on to the previous idea, we can devote our lives to constantly learn and evolve into versions of ourselves that we may never imagined ourselves becoming. After all, this is the embodiment of self-improvement. By spending some time each day to read a book or consume informative media, you can learn more about yourself and the world around you each and every day. I personally find such a concept truly mesmerizing, and by committing to reading an hour every day, I hope to live a life full of achievements and knowledge. So far I’ve read 11 books in the past three months, and the insight within these books have had a profound impact on my outlook on life. I’ve reached peak levels of confidence and determination to pursue my goals, and this desire will only further grow as I continue my path to self-enlightenment. By adopting a learning mindset, I’ve primed myself to live the best life I possibly can, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to also do the same.
Conclusion
So, that’s all I have for you. If you’re interested in learning more about the ideas I discussed, I would recommend you dive head first and find time to start reading some of these books. They can better explain the concepts in far greater detail, and provide a resounding impact through various examples and stories that may spark change within your own life. Anyways, if you enjoyed the video, feel free to leave a like, share your thoughts in the comments below, and to share this video with someone who could benefit from it. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, and I’ll see you in the next video.
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