self improvement

[Sara Noel]

What are some low-cost or free ways to improve yourself?

What ways do you do things for yourself? I don't mean frugal pampering. I mean ways to improve yourself short term and long term. Things that make you learn more (maybe about yourself, maybe not) or help you to grow. More personal development types of things like what boosts your self esteem, motivation, self awareness, self confidence, personal success, creativity or change in attitude, etc.

For example, a high cost self improvement might involve a gym membership.

In other words, how do you make life changes that don't cost a lot of money?

[Ali Lee]

Several years ago I took a couple of sessions of Tai Chai. Truly enjoyed it. When I was @ $Tree this past winter, they had a DVD. I bought it & it's great. A wonderful investment for a dollar ..that gives me peace.

[daughter of pearl]

I downloaded some guided meditations to begin and end my day (when I remember!). I also worked out a deal with a place where I wanted to take a class, in which I managed the class (for me it was acting, but for others it could be yoga, a craft, whatever) pre-registration process in exchange for a discount on tuition.

[Rhayne]

My boyfriend and I just started to get back into working out. (we're both a bit pudgy) He suggested gym memberships, karate and other things and I suggested we go to the local park and play tennis and run on the track. We go every other day and have a blast and it's free. He has a couple of older tennis rackets and we want new ones but for now we'll deal with the older ones. Only cost out of pocket is for gas and the tennis balls we bought.

[Sara Noel]

I've been considering getting a home manicure kit. Seems silly that I don't have one. I've got clippers, but I want cuticle tools and a nice emery board, wood stick, etc. Nothing fancy. Just a basic nailcare kit. This sort of falls under the pamper myself angle that I was aiming to avoid, but for me my nails are something I haven't taken time to do in a long time. So my perspective is that one part of personal development can be improving personal grooming or simply wearing perfume/cologne more often. Seems like I spritz most often before I go out, but why not wear it when at home.

Funny but true story...one day I kept smelling this citrus smell. It was driving me nuts. Where was this smell coming from? I kept worrying that one of the kids might have got into a cleaner and it was making me absolutely crazy. I would smell it and then it seemed to fade and then I'd smell it again. Come to find out, I had forgotten that I put on some perfume earlier in the day. doh!

[Sara Noel]

Or how about eating better? Not dieting, but simply improving what you eat. Some weeks, I just don't seem to care. It's so easy to fall into this trap when I'm busy.

But it's one of those things where you alone (or in this case I) have to care. It can be as simple as watching your sugar or salt intake. I understand some people HAVE to because of health reasons, but for those that don't, part of self improvement can be taking time to be more aware of what you eat. Food journals can help, but so can finding interest in what you're preparing for yourself. Maybe it can start with eating seasonal produce or exploring veg dishes or getting a new cookbook. Which for some people ties in with MOTIVATION.

So what types of things motivate you to improve YOURSELF? And what do you do to improve yourself?

[joyofsix]

I read, read, read from the library or the internet.
I'm practicing piano again after 30 years of ignoring it.
I keep a diary and gratitude journal.
Not for everyone, but I pray. Alot.

[Palooka]

I always put perfume on every day rather I leave the house or not.
I get sunshine when I can which helps my moods a lot
I've been exercising. Just looking in the mirror motivated me to do that. lol But I love the feeling it leaves me with.
I'm home a lot so I try to change things around and decorations just for something different to look at.
I have to have my alone time or unwinding time daily and I always take time out for that to keep me sane.
Sometimes when I feel my life is bad or stressed, I can watch some talk shows and feel better. I know silly but sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a trap of certain thinking.
When I'm not eating good which can happen a lot, I go through my cookbooks for inspiration.

[baxjul]

I try to remember to put perfume on daily, and to fix my hair and makeup daily. Sometimes, I just don't do it though. I admit, that I do feel better when I do take the time.

I also try to read a lot.

[Sara Noel]

How about the company that you keep? Are they uplifting? Everyone knows that one person that always has something negative to say especially when you're happy about something. I think surrounding yourself with positive people that TRULY want you to succeed versus secretly want you to fail makes all the difference in the world. In the same sense, be supportive of someone else, too.

Or how about doing something you've been putting off? Or doing something that is outside of your comfort zone.

[monkeywrangler71]

I like to learn, either about a new topic or to develop a new skill. I used to take courses all the time, either college classes (not frugal) or leisure classes through continuing ed or the community (frugal). I stopped a few years ago and just started researching things on the Internet or in books, but I'm signed up for classes again starting this month.

I've made a conscious effort over the past few years to have a positive attitude, as I noticed that I complained a lot. No one seems to have noticed so I'm not sure it's working.

I also have to work hard at practising patience. That is something I do by being aware of myself and making an effort to force myself to slow down. Having a child who repeats everything at least three times means I get to practise this a lot. I fail miserably when I am stressed.

[Libby]

I decided to make use of my time off (ie unemployment) to force myself to learn how to cook/bake....try new recipes. The satisfaction I get from knowing that I was able to do it successfully and others truly like what I made is empowering and gives me more confidence in the kitchen.

Its frugal vs buying the finished product and I know exactly whats in it AND I have new skills to fall back on.

How does that saying go: You can feed a man by giving him a fish daily but teach him how to fish and he can feed himself for life.

I am making sure I can feed myself for life

ETA: Sara - I'm like you...I only spritz on the perfume when I'm going out, not when I'm staying at home. I too, often wonder what that smell is only to discover its me hahaha

[nuisance26]

~Learning to regularly declutter actually did more for me than just removing stuff. I learned a lot about myself and other people. I forgave people. I moved past old dreams, disappointments and hurts. I learned to prioritize the things in my home and their place in my life. More and more I look around with peace and contentment over what I have and who I am.
Another thing that feels like an investment in myself is volunteering. I strongly believe in certain causes so whenever I can physically contribute to a cause I feed my soul because I've let my soul speak.
I think that we should all regularly and physically participate in the things we say we believe in. It affirms our person and place in this world. We should be who we say we are.~

[baxjul]

I've made a conscious effort over the past few years to have a positive attitude, as I noticed that I complained a lot. No one seems to have noticed so I'm not sure it's working.

I also have to work hard at practising patience. That is something I do by being aware of myself and making an effort to force myself to slow down. Having a child who repeats everything at least three times means I get to practise this a lot. I fail miserably when I am stressed.

I have issues with both of those things also. I try to work on them, but sometimes it doesn't go too well.

[Sara Noel]

Here's something from Steve Pavlina:

So how to discover your purpose in life? While there are many ways to do this, some of them fairly involved, here is one of the simplest that anyone can do. The more open you are to this process, and the more you expect it to work, the faster it will work for you. But not being open to it or having doubts about it or thinking it’s an entirely idiotic and meaningless waste of time won’t prevent it from working as long as you stick with it — again, it will just take longer to converge.

Here’s what to do:

Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.