Three practices that will lead you to a better version of yourself
I am doing these, and they are helping me emerge to be a better person
This might sound like another cliché article that you come across on the internet. I’ll stop you right there. This article comes from first-hand, personal experience and I’m sure you’ll see yourself unfolding into a new path.
Why practice and not habit?
Habit is something that you do regularly. It’s not voluntary. You do it because you have to. But that’s not the case with practice. To practice is to repeat (an activity) as a way of improving one’s skill. A practice may or may not become a habit, but a habit does not become a practice.
You would’ve definitely heard the quote “practice makes a man perfect”. Although, do you want to reach perfection? One thing I can say is, I am far from perfection. Instead of chasing perfection, let’s practice to become a better version of ourselves.
“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow” — Beyoncé
Becoming you
I’ve been reading Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming”. It includes an elaborate narration of her life and at no point has she detached herself from the narration. In every line that I read, I could imagine seeing her.
Three simple practices to become you —
- Take your time off social media (not forever, sometimes)— you don’t have to portray a perfect life through your Instagram posts, you don’t have to compare your likes with someone else, it’s okay if you don’t tweet something funny, you need not like the picture just because he/she is your best friend. It has been 22 days since I uninstalled Instagram and I can feel the difference. Take time to focus on yourself. Take time to build yourself just like you would’ve done to that origami paper. Focus on your emotions, focus on what’s going on in your life and what you’re going through every day. It need not be Instagram always. You can take a day off WhatsApp too.
- Write — on a sticky note, on an empty sheet, a ruled sheet, a torn paper, anything. You can maintain a journal, gratitude list, diary, blog, etc. I started my blog on 2nd October 2019, and I’ve kept it alive. This blog has motivated me to write, it has improved my writing drastically (probably you can say that better) and most importantly, it has helped me learn. The key point is to write as often as possible. Write whatever you’re feeling or thinking. There’s nothing right or wrong. It’s what you’re feeling, and that’s what’s important.
- Exercise and food — exercising for five days for half an hour can be relaxing and calming. You can either do yoga with an instructor, hit the gym, watch YouTube videos and workout at home, or even cycle for an hour. Especially, exercises that make you sweat and race your heart are energizing. Exercising in a full-fledged manner and not eating right isn’t a great idea. So, eat the right amount of food, and eat good food (definitely less junk).
These practices are the least time consuming and the most effective. Even if you’re not able to tick off the first one, the other two will do wonders.
Why you should do these?
You must be wondering why I’m stressing these points. It’s because I’ve been doing these and I can see myself changing. I feel that I’m able to redefine myself by focusing on my emotions, improving my writing skills, and working on my body to lead a healthier lifestyle. These aren’t life-changing practices, but they will definitely take you to a better place in life and make you feel better.
Don’t wait for things to happen to you, make them happen for you.
“If you own this story, you get to write the ending” — Brené Brown
