Self Improvement DIY
Declutter, Demolish, Renovate and Extend to a New You
I was doing a bit of DIY around the house recently when it occurred to me that the pandemic has brought on a whole host of changes in all of us.
It could be something as little as changes to daily routines to far more fundamental shifts like changes in opportunities, our outlook, our self-concept and where we see our future.
As I went about tinkering this and that, I thought about how the pandemic has shaken me up, as if someone has taken off my blindfold. I’m seeing for the first time how I really want my life to be, what I truly value, what I really need to let go and what I need to embrace and take with me into a post-pandemic world.
To do this, I need to do a bit of DIY on my life to really see some self-improvement.
Even though I am still not 100% clear on my life purpose, acknowledging it and reflecting on it has already given me some ideas. What I’m imagining for myself is starting to take some shape, turning it from pitch darkness to blurry silhouettes.
I think we should all see our lives as Work in Progress: always tinkering around, making it better and trying new things. So in that spirit, we can all do a bit of DIY with our lives.
Here’s how we can go about it…
Declutter our thoughts and feelings
We all have way too much clutter in our heads. It could be worrying, anger, upset, to minor annoyances someone leaving used towels on the floor. When we let the little things get to us, they siphon away our precious energy to deal with the really important things in life. So declutter your mind and throw away thoughts and feelings that you can’t control, cannot influence or make no ultimate difference to you one way or another. I think Marie Kondo said it best… When trying to make the keep or throw decision about your thoughts and feelings, ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?”
Demolish our toxic connections and addictions
Let’s face it, sometimes the harsh reality is that we need to demolish areas of our lives. It could be toxic friends, negative relationships or nasty addictions that have taken control of our lives. There is no point hanging onto them if they are crippling your life. Take a sledgehammer to the all-consuming negative forces in your life and demolish them so you can build anew.
Restore our passions and interests
Do you have passions and interests you have left by the wayside on your way to “growing up”? Covid has prompted a different zeitgeist- we are moving away from unadulterated consumerism towards community belonging and personal meaning. So, now is the perfect time to rekindle those interests and restore your inner child. Restore the spirit that once made you feel alive and activities that once nourished your soul.
Renovate our capabilities and outlook
Do a stocktake of your skillset, capabilities and outlook. Be brutally honest with yourself. It’s the only way you can identify what areas need improvement. Treat this as a building renovation project. We don’t have to tackle everything in one go. But, without identifying what to focus on, we will not be able to create a plan. Without a plan, we won’t be able to put it into action.
Improve our skills
It’s not enough to know what we want to improve, we have to get on with it! This is true for skills and behaviour. Skills take practise to hone and opportunities to hone them (see the Create tip below!). Too overwhelming to do? I’ve found the approach of constant tinkering and experimentation a great way to steadily ramp up the changes I want to make without putting undue pressure on myself. Keep tinkering around the edges to make consistent and ongoing improvements until the new skills and behaviours become second nature.
Extend ourselves from good foundations
As with any building extension, be clear about the underlying structure of You that you want to keep. Underneath the outdated carpets and scruffy wallpaper, we all have good bones. What makes you uniquely you? Is it your compassion? Your generosity? Your passion for writing? We need to leverage these qualities as we extend our repertoire of skills and capabilities. Don’t lose sight or forsake qualities that are core to your being in the pursuit of something new.
Gut bad habits and attitudes
Is there something you truly dislike about yourself that can be junked? I know, it’s not easy to let go of bad habits and bad attitudes. The mere fact of identifying them is going to help you recognise how they are counter-productive in your life DIY. For example, I have a really bad temper especially when I am super-stressed. It’s not something I can just dismantle and make disappear, but I actively manage it through a combination of situation prevention and mitigation strategies. We all have negative traits, behaviours or attitudes that can unhealthily impact your wellbeing. If you find it impossible to discard them, at least try to put them in storage rather than leave them out for constant display.
Create new opportunities
As we DIY our lives, we need to create opportunities. It’s no longer enough to just seize opportunities when they are presented to you. We need to make things happen by generating new opportunities from scratch if we can. I personally find that kind of hustling difficult. So I do the next best thing…in every situation I face, I actively think about what I can offer to create a crevice of opportunity. If someone has written an article, can I help to proofread it for a chance at a new connection?
Upcycle our skills for different settings
There is something delightfully enlivening about upcycling. Not only are you bringing something back previously destined for the tip, but you are also turning it into something even more valuable. Covid has probably seen quite a few of us upcycling old clothes into masks. We can also do the same and upcycle our lives. Are there long-forgotten skills that you can bring back to help you improve your life or apply in a new setting? Are there ideas or inspirations you’ve archived away that you can resurrect to boost your outlook and to help you move your life to the next gear? In searching through what we have done, we re-connect our achievements to our sense of self. When we rediscover what we can do, we create more opportunities.
If we can turn even a few of these ideas into action, we will soon see the improvements we want in our lives. Think of self-improvement as a DIY home renovation project. Can’t you just picture the before and after?
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Nancy is a Work Success and Career Development Coach at TheCareerPeople.org. Sign up for her Free 5-Day email course at TheCareerPeople.org to learn the mindset you need to achieve career success and how to put your best foot forward if you want a career change or get that job!
