How to Implement Self-Help Ideas in Your Life
Many people are getting interested in self-help these days, but one thing I see happening is people read all the stuff but don’t actually take any action in their lives.
The reading, the learning, the studying of self-help topics and philosophies doesn’t have any impact if you don’t then take the necessary actions to implement what you are learning.
It is a little more complicated taking action on concepts or ideas, it’s not like you just schedule it into your day or put it on your to do list. Or can you?
How to take action and put what you learn into practice!
1. Keep notes or highlight the main concepts that you find interesting or useful as you read or watch philosophical, wellness, and inspirational information.
2. Simplify these main concepts down to simple statements if you can.
For example, as I was reading Martha Beck’s book, Finding Your True North Star, the concept of the True-Self vs the Social-Self really resonated with me. I jotted a one liner something like this, “Listen for what my true-self is saying and notice the social-self.” This statement will remind me of the basic concept every time I read it.
If you haven’t read that book, the basic concept is that we do things and make life choices based on how it will be seen and accepted socially and that we ignore our true desires in order to conform. I think you can see how it is helpful to be aware of what is influencing your choices so you can live life more true to you.
Maybe you could include a reference like a page number in case you want to review the passage.
3. Write these statements on a running reminder list that you can review periodically.
I keep this list in the front of my planner and review it every week or so when I’m planning my week. It keeps the thoughts fresh in my mind so I am far more likely to implement the changes rather than just reading content and thinking I want to do that someday.
4. Update your list when it gets messy or overwhelming.
You don’t want more than 10 or 15 items at a time or you will never read it. The actions I have implemented, that have become part of my routine, I remove. Thoughts or statements I have lost interest in or have changed my opinion of, I also remove.
I use this method a lot with healthy changes I want to make as well. If I want to eat less sugar or walk more, having a reminder that I see often helps keep that in the forefront of my mind. I find I actually forget I want to eat less sugar when someone offers me a cupcake, but if I just read that reminder I am more likely to make a good choice.
I hope this helps you to begin implementing some of the concept you’re reading about.
