B is for Behavior

Maybe it's just me, but I find that when a lot of people talk about self-improvement they are usually only talking about either behaviour or physical appearance - rarely do people focus on both. I find this to be a little silly because a healthy body is just as vital as a healthy mind. One without the other is possible, but harder to achieve I think.

This post, however, is focused on behavior only and we'll cover physical another time.

To change your behavior, first you need to decide on the kind of person you want to be. So, who do you want to be? Take some time and really think of it. I've spent years considering what kind of person I'd like to be and I'm still not the person I'd like to think of myself as.

One thing that I've considered doing is writing a personal manifesto to help define the person I would like to be and how I expect myself to act in certain situations. I haven't written it yet, but it's not something I think I should just bang out on a whim. It also covers the next part of changing the behavior.

Yesterday I talked about Awareness and it comes in handy here again. I need to be aware of not only my current behavior, but also of the distance between who I am now and who I want to be. Then I need to make the decision to change one aspect of my behavior till it becomes a part of me. Step by step - a little change at a time - I can make my way from where I am to where I want to be.

This is a process I've done before for a lot of things, but it's never been a conscious process and I need to make it one. Of course, first, I need to decide who I need to be and that is going to take some serious thought.

There are a few things that I do know I would like to change. I would like to be a more purposeful person. I hate that I have spent most of my time letting life happen to me instead of the other way around. It's a slow process, but I really need to set down and think up several small steps to get myself to a point where I live my life with purpose.

I also already know that I would like to be a more loving and kind person. I have a tendency to judge others harshly at times. I always try to catch myself at these moments and remind myself that I do not know what that person's journey is about. Sure, if I don't approve of how they interact with others than I can choose not to interact with them, but I don't have to do it with judgement. I can do it with love and understanding instead.

Of course, changing my behaviours can help improve my physical health as well. Such as making that effort to be more active instead of lazy. I can try a little thing like deciding not to hit snooze 5 times and then have to rush around getting ready. I can stop procrastinating and take that hour spent being lazy and put it towards doing something useful - like exercise or writing.