Are you missing self improvement opportunities embedded in your every day experience?
I sure was.
For instance, I screwed up my website a few days ago. In trying to improve it, I destroyed its design, leaving just stark black letters on white background.
After urgently sending a message to the website Help Team, I did my best to shake off my stress, but it still got the best of me.
I blamed my website host, I felt irritable, and I showed it—everyone knew to stay out of my way.
Later, after a restless night, I finally settled down. After morning meditation, I realized that I fell into these two traps that block self improvement.
- The Fragmentation Trap— I tried to do too much too quick. I tried to do my website “improvement” while making return phone calls.I felt like they all had to get done—after all they were on my “to-do-list.” Yet, none were urgent—they could have been done at anytime. In trying to do them all, none where done well.
- The Perfectionist Trap: My website looked great, but I saw another I liked better—so I tried to copy it. Thinking that you or your work is “not good enough” characterizes the perfectionist.Wanting to be the best that you can be and to provide a top-notch service is a good thing. It’s when you’re never satisfied that you become a perfectionist.I have to say that when I look back at my life, there’s a clear pattern of botching up really good work by trying to make it “perfect.”Perfectionism harms the spirit. It invokes criticism (of self and others), drives a lot of unnecessary activity, and robs the simple enjoyment of accomplishments.
To get out of these traps I turned to two powerful attitudes that I know work, but hadn’t been using.
2 Powerful Self Improvement Tips
1. Focus on one thing at a time.
When you try to do too many things at a time, it causes an energy drain or leak. It leads to stress and saps your energy. Besides, when unfocused or fragmented you can’t be at your best.
Adopting a meditation practice is the most powerful method known for improving your mind’s focus.
Used for centuries by all the great spiritual traditions, it helps you let go of restless activity, troubling thoughts, and emotions.
Meditation reconnects you with your true nature, your essence, who you really are (not what you or someone else says or thinks you should be).
It helps you let go of habitual patterns in life like perfectionism too.
2. View Mistakes as Opportunities.
We all make mistakes; no one’s perfect. Making mistakes comes with being human. To learn and grow from mistakes is to be fully alive.
A mistake, injury, and even disease offers opportunity to examine what went wrong so you can make changes and prevent it in the future.
You sure can’t learn and grow from mistakes if you don’t accept and understand them. Nor can you learn and grow from them if you blame someone else.
There is usually some portion (even if very tiny) of the problem that you own. By owning it, you can correct at least some portion of it.
Besides, blaming others keeps you stuck in the victim role—it takes away your power.
Bottom Line
Don’t get stuck in the “The Fragmentation Trap” or “The Perfectionist Trap” as I first did.
You can break out of these traps by focusing on one thing at a time and viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning. Both important for health and healing.
Meditation provides a powerful method to cultivate these attitudes.
I found out it was my error that screwed up my website. I learned what I did wrong and how to fix it. Plus, I now understand the whole system better and I understand myself better too.
Don’t miss the self improvement opportunities embedded in your everyday experiences. You can use these simple and powerful tips to help you!
