Be You: 5 Simple Steps to Self-Change
Step 1: Design Yourself
Lasting self-improvement comes from a clear design. You need a road map to follow. Follow these strategies and make a rough sketch of what success means to you.
These are active strategies; please take time to write down your thoughts: pens at the ready (If you’re busy right now, come back later).
1. Your Roles
What important roles do you have (or want to have) in your life? Are you a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Manager, Writer, your own Body Coach, your own Accountant?
Write each of these roles down a sheet of paper (for example, I have 8 roles). Put a bubble around each one and add small practical things that you can do to improve in each role. Next, draw a long arrow line towards a thought bubble on the other side of the page and into this write/draw what you would like this role to become.
Here are two examples;
2. Your Vision
Now look at the thought bubbles, the things you want to make happen, and make yourself a vision board. Choose an image or sentence for each role goal and draw/stick them into a simple frame.
Here’s an example.
3. Your why
How are you going to be someone who helps people and improves the world around them?
Pick one person to represent each of your important roles. Imagine them at a future time, explaining how you have helped them. Make up the situation — they could be speaking at your funeral, or your wedding, or talking about you to someone, or speaking to you; it could be their death bed or yours, they might be receiving an award on stage — make the situation fit the person. Write what they say, not an epic speech, just a guiding idea or two.
Some examples:
A student email to his teacher after getting her A level grades. Miss, I got 4A*’s. There’s no way I could have done this without all your help., I found your study skill tips and your subject knowledge so useful they really changed how I approached my study. I’m off to Harvard now to study Biology and research vaccinations for…
Your husband on receiving a promotion at work. I just want to tell you that without all your belief in me over the years, when other people doubted me, I would never have had the confidence to even go for this job, let alone step into it. You’ve been such a good influence of me, stopped me doing things that were bad for me, you’re love has let me grow way more than I ever thought was possible…
You’re Dad on his deathbed: We had some fun when you were a kid… but I’m even more proud of what you’ve become. I never expected to find a real friend in you, a best friend, and you’ve inspired me with how you’ve taken what you got from us and grown it; I can pop off now knowing that whatever I wanted to get done here you’re going to be doing it better than I could — thanks for that.
Etcetera.
On to the next Step
You’ve got a vision and you know which directions to travel and what actions to be doing to get better. Move onto Step 2.
