Question 7: How would you like to improve yourself and your life next year? Is there a piece of advice or counsel you received in the past year that could guide you?
Self-improvement is certainly a big part of the American dream. How can I be a better, happier person next year than I am right now? At our cores, the majority of us want to be the best versions of ourselves, and over time, we sometimes realize there are patterns that we experience that prevent that from being the case. Sometimes, it’s the nudge of a friend’s counsel, calling us on our nonsense, that propels us to make a shift, sometimes we see an interview with a person who has achieved what we dreamed for ourselves and it kicks us into action, sometimes we see a slogan on the side of a bus and it speaks to us in strange ways. What would you like to do this year to become the best version of yourself? Last year, the answers ranged from the specific ” I would like to become more active. Since retirement I have become very isolated. Finding people in the age group of 71 plus, who understand that I am from another country and sometimes feel lonely wishing for my Old Friends and Land.” to the abstract, “I want to appreciate the beauty of ‘enough.’ We have enough. The house is clean enough. I am enough.” to the Nike inspired: “Just do it! If you want to move, just move. If you want to walk, just walk. If you want to write, just write. Don’t wait for better circumstances. Just do it, don’t talk about it.” People talked about wanting to learn languages, explore the world, but many many people talked about wanting to improve their sense of self. Judge less. Criticize less. Be jealous less. Appreciate life more. On a day-to-day basis, what would you like to improve about your life? And what’s a piece of counsel or a thought that you could come back to throughout the year to keep you on track?