7 Ways to Better Yourself

We all want to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. Some people expect a relationship or friendship to help get them there, but realistically you need to rely on yourself to better yourself, not others. It's your responsibility to be the best you you can be, so let's talk about a few ways to do this, and trust me no one is perfect!

1. Beat the negativity. I wrote a detailed post about this a few months back, but I think it's important to know that positivity helps with many things. It helps with your mood, other people's mood, and more importantly, it truly helps with perspective.
2. Be a good comrade. When I say this, I mean be a good friend. Be a good girlfriend/boyfriend. Be a good daughter/son. Be a good wife/husband. Be a good person for other people in your life. This is easier said than done because some people will test your patience more than others, but it's so important to reflect and think to what you'd like in a friend. Think of the qualities you admire in some of your best friends and significant others. Is it that they're reliable? Responsible? Mature? Caring? What is it about your best friends that makes you gravitate to them?
3. Don't compare yourself to others. I say this often across my social media, but just do not compare yourself to other people. You are not like anyone else, and no one is like you. Be unique. Only doubt, lack of confidence, and negative thinking comes when you compare yourself to others. Trust me, I am guilty of doing this and it only leads you down a bad path. Just do you.
4. Identify the good and the bad. Recognize your strengths, but also be conscientious of your weaknesses because both will help you understand how you can improve and where to focus your efforts. For instance, if you're not the most social individual and you are an introvert (don't worry, many of us are), you can work on trying to chat with your coworkers and making more conversations happen over time. If you happen to be a bit too candid and honest, perhaps you can learn to soften your emails and conversations so you don't come across quite so harsh.
5. Hold yourself accountable. When you make a mistake, or you are incorrect, be the person who recognizes they are wrong and moves on. Don't hold grudges or start arguments just for the hell of it. If you break something, own up to it. I know as a child I hated getting in trouble so I never fessed up, and as an adult I have a hard time fessing up to things, but I'm no longer a child and I don't have an excuse for holding myself accountable.
6. Keep track of your ways. There's a saying I used to repeat on end from Einstein "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results." If you realize you are making the same mistakes over and over again, you need to take note of what mistake it is and why it happens. Then you can figure out how to prevent it in the future. My problem in life is that I break everything. I fried our last fridge (left the door open overnight - shiiiit), got a bleach spot on the carpet, broke our sugar jar, broke multiple wine glasses that my boyfriend doesn't even know have been broken (sssshhh) among other casualties to the appliances and house. All of this is so careless. My problem is that I don't think when I do certain things, I just do things. These mindless acts affect not only me but someone else. Me breaking the fridge that my boyfriend originally bought before I even moved in is mindless and downright rude. I need to respect things and treat them well. This is one I am still working on, but I want to learn from my ways and help prevent stupid accidents in the future by thinking about it ahead of time. Likewise, you need to keep track of your actions and recognize a pattern if there is and resolve it moving forward. 
7. Be kind to yourself. I dove into this quite a bit in this post, but it's so important for you to remain kind and positive to yourself. When it really comes down to it, you only have you in this world. You were brought into this world alone, and you will leave this world alone so treat yourself right. Don't be egotistical or rude to people for the hell of it, but treat yourself with respect and make sure others do as well. How you treat yourself is a reflection of how you will treat others, so be kind.
I'd love to hear your tips in terms of helping all of us better ourselves. 

These photos were taken on Roosevelt Row in Phoenix.

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