Learning how to better yourself is something we can all work on. Even small adjustments and improvements can have long-lasting effects on your life.

Improving yourself can change your financial situation, your relationships, your self-esteem, your health, and more.

But, learning how to better yourself can feel like a very difficult thing if your life isn’t going the way you want.

Maybe you had a different plan but things don’t seem to be going your way. Maybe you just want a change because anything is better than how things are currently going.

Each of those things can leave you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or like everyone is doing better than you. Those feelings can be hard to escape, but my goal is that you’ll find at least one thing on this list that will start to change your mood and your life for the better.

No matter how you’re feeling, I do believe that everyone is in charge of their own destiny.

If you feel that things are not going the way you want them to go, then change it! 

Trust me, I know it can be hard – focusing on how to better yourself can be one of the biggest challenges you face. You may fail sometimes, but you’ll never improve your life if you don’t start trying. 

Instead of looking at how to improve yourself everyday as one big and overwhelming challenge, there are lots of smaller challenges and ways to better yourself that will start to change how you see yourself and how you see the world around you. 

Despite your fears, challenges can change the way you think because they open you up to new ideas that you may have never experienced or realized before. By making yourself “uncomfortable” or putting yourself in a position that you are not used to, you will truly learn how to feel better about yourself.

I know that the ideas on this list below will look like a lot and can be overwhelming. You don’t need to work on everything, and especially not all at once. Simply choose one or some of the ways to better yourself and go from there.

Living a better life starts with small steps and changes – just start with something small on this list of challenges. Get out of your comfort zone a little and see how it feels to succeed.

As you keep working on how to better yourself, you’ll start to see your life changing around you.

How to better yourself – 23 challenges that will change your life.

1. Be thankful for what you have.

The next time something negative is bringing you down, I suggest you try to remember all of the good things that you already have in your life. You already live a great life, and to live life to the fullest, you just need to remember that.

This is the power of positive thinking at its best, and it’s one of the best ways of how to better yourself. 

You can be thankful for your family, friends, your health, your job, a past experience, opportunities, and more.

Thinking about everything you are thankful for can make something negative seem very trivial. You may even laugh at yourself for being so negative!

Challenge: Once a day, or whenever you’re feeling down, think about all of the things you are thankful for. You can even write each of them down on little pieces of paper and put them in a jar to read at a later time.

2. Travel to a random place.

There are many wonderful places in the world. Traveling to a random place can help improve your confidence, open you up to new experiences, and may even make you a little uncomfortable. These are all things that will help you reevaluate what you may want to do in life.

You don’t have to go far from home to explore and have new experiences. Traveling to a random place can even be done in your own state or a nearby one – I bet there are lots of things close to you that you haven’t even tried yet.

Challenge: For your next vacation, why don’t you throw a coin on a map and see where it lands?

3. Don’t be afraid of what other people think.

If you want to live life on your own terms, then stop caring what other people think of you and your life. 

This can be one of the hardest challenges if you want to learn how to better yourself, and I know because I used to really care about what other people thought of me. It took me a long time to gain the confidence to let go of that, and now I couldn’t be happier. This has really helped me learn how to live a great life.

You shouldn’t let the opinions of others affect you, drag you down, control you, and so on. Like I always say, “Who cares what others think!?”

The only person who should get to tell you what kind of life to live is you.

Challenge: The next time you start worrying about what someone else might think of you, stop and ask yourself, “What will happen if they are judging me?” Unless you’re doing something illegal, nothing will happen. This can be hard to practice, but you are slowly retraining yourself.

4. Take a risk.

Have you ever thought about doing something particularly risky so that you could live life to the fullest but you were too afraid to go for it? Doing something risky every so often can get your heart beating and your adrenaline rushing. If you want to learn how to better yourself, this can really make you feel alive and like you are in charge of your life.

This is something that I am trying to get much better at because I realize that fear might be holding me back from being able to live life to the fullest.

Now is the time to get over our fears and take more risks!

Challenge: Next time you are faced with a risk, think about the pros and cons instead of automatically turning the idea down.

5. Say yes.

When you want to learn how to feel better about yourself, you may also be hiding from everyone and feeling like you are stuck. In this case, you may want to try branching out and saying yes more often. Saying yes can open you up to more situations, more challenges in life, and so on.

It’s easy to avoid new situations when you’re feeling stuck, but trying something new can show you that there are so many exciting or fun things around you.

Challenge: Next time someone asks you to do something (that is legal, of course), say yes, no matter what.

6. Say no.

I know I just told you to say yes to new things, but always saying yes to everything is an easy way to spread yourself out too thin. You might feel like you never have a minute to yourself, that you’re ready to pull your hair out, or that you don’t have enough time to do the things you want/need to do.

If that sounds like you and you want to learn how to better yourself, it might be time to start saying no to some things. Saying no may allow you to have more time and energy to focus on what you truly want to do in life.

Challenge: Next time someone asks you to do something that you honestly cannot fit into your life, just say no. It’s really that easy.

7. Exercise.

Whenever I’m feeling a little stressed out, tired, or even grumpy, I try to fit in a workout. I know that even a small workout is better than none. It can be a short walk around the block, a bike ride, or hike.

Exercising is great and it can improve your life because it can make you healthier all around. You will feel more confident, your mind will be clearer, you will be able to better cope with stress, and more.

You can work out in whatever way you prefer. I’ve never been the type of person to go to the gym or go for a run, but I do like to go rock climbing and hiking. It’s whatever fits you and your situation best – remember, learning how to better yourself is about challenging yourself in a way that works best for you

Challenge: At least a few times a week, try to get in a good exercise session, even if it’s a 30 minute walk or bike ride. Make this a regular thing and fit it in no matter what.

8. Spend less time watching TV.

This can be difficult because the average person spends too much time watching television, 35 hours in fact (weekly)!

35 HOURS! Can you imagine what you could do with even half of those hours every week!?

TV can be a big time waster and can be detrimental if you want to learn how to better yourself.

Instead of turning on the TV the next time you are bored or looking for something to do, you may want to do something more worthwhile, such as working out, spending time with friends and family, reading a book, and so on.

Our minds are greatly influenced by what we see on TV and on social media. Plus, it can be a huge waste of time.

Challenge: Every so often, try to completely cut out TV for the day or even longer if you prefer.

9. Spend less time on social media.

The average person spends many, many hours on social media each week. It can prevent you from finding ways of how to better yourself because social media can cause you to compare yourself to others in a negative way.

Between Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and many others, it’s also quite easy to waste your entire day.

If you find that you are spending too much time on social media and are thinking badly about yourself, you may want to shut down some or all of your social media accounts. You can delete apps from your phone, create a time block so you can’t access your accounts during certain periods of the day, and so on.

For me, I actually deleted Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram off my phone a few years ago, and it’s been great. I decided to do that with Facebook too, and it’s allowed me to be more present and happier overall.

Challenge: Try deleting one or all social media apps from your phone for just one day. You can always download them again, but you may find yourself not missing them at all.

10. Have regular family money meetings.

Talking about money and conducting regular budget meetings is an important task for every family and serious relationship to take part in. A family who has regular money talks and budget meetings is more likely to be financially successful and happier than a family who doesn’t.

Regular money meetings can lead to better communication between family members, a more unified financial goal, family members being more involved and motivated, and more. This is how to better yourself for your current and future financial life.

Challenge:  Set aside 30 minutes this week to talk about a financial issue that you’ve been wanting to address. It could be creating a budget, saving up for something, or just talking about your long-term goals. Remember, go in with an open mind!

11. Think positively.

I say this often and I still believe it. Thinking positively is one of the best ways of how to better yourself because it can completely change your outlook on life. Being positive can give you motivation, it can help you to not waste time on regret, and more.

Challenge: Every time something may bog you down or make you unhappy, try to think of a positive outcome that may come from it.

12. Be kind to others.

Being kind can improve your life because you will feel better about yourself and you will be making others feel better as well. When you are kind to others, you are not just learning how to better yourself, you’re improving the lives of people around you.

Challenge: There are many daily challenges you could do to take part in this, such as:

• Say hello to every person you walk by today
• Open doors for others
• Smile at strangers
• Help someone with their groceries
• Volunteer somewhere

13. Look for new ways to save more money.

Looking for ways to save more money may allow you to pay off your debt faster, improve your financial habits, help you reach your dreams sooner, and more. If you want to learn how to better yourself and your finances, finding new ways to save will help you feel less stressed out by your finances and help you work towards big money goals.

Plus, there are many, many different ways to save money. You don’t need to sacrifice your favorite things or live an unhappy life in order to save money.

It’s all about being realistic and finding a good balance between saving and spending.

Challenge: Apply one of the items listed in this post: 10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Monthly Grocery Budget At $125 Per Person

14. Learn a new skill.

When I was in school I used to tell myself that I hated learning new things. I was like most teenagers who thought I already knew everything. However, I was completely wrong – there is so much to learn! 

In fact, I’ve learned how to start this blog in the past year and I absolutely love it! I have also learned a few new recipes that I am excited to try for my husband this week.

If you want to figure out how to better yourself, continuing to learn new things can improve your confidence as you work on building a new skill. 

There are so many different things you can learn, including:

• A new language
• How to do a craft, like jewelry making, knitting, painting, and more
• How to cook, like if there are recipes you’ve been wanting to master
• How to start a blog
• How to play a new game or sport

And more! 

Challenge: Think of something you’ve been wanting to learn how to do and start researching how you can make that happen.

15. Learn how to make passive income.

Building passive income is something that I’ve been working on for the past year. I want to continue to bring in an income while being able to focus on other goals of mine, like doing more hiking, snowboarding, or traveling (which will most likely never generate income). I also want to diversify my income so that I’m not too reliant on one source.

For me, finding passive income sources is great because I can focus more on life instead of just my work, and I can do it while continuing to earn a great income.

Unfortunately, many people think that passive income simply isn’t real, that it must be luck and not work, that you’re a trust fund kid, or something else.

But, that’s not true at all! There are small sources of passive income that hardly take any work at all.

Now, there are many other sources of passive income that do take a lot of work to start (it’s not a get rich quick scheme) – there’s probably going to be some effort to get the passive income stream started, and perhaps some effort to maintain it for years to come. 

It can take time or money to start on most passive income ideas, but that investment is worth it.

Here are the reasons why earning passive income is one of the best ways of how to better yourself:

• You can make money with little work to maintain it. This is a huge positive of passive income! Who wouldn’t want to find an income source that didn’t take much work to maintain?
• You can diversify your income. You want to diversify your income because one source of income may not last forever, and you may be able to lessen your risk by having multiple income streams.
• You can do what you love while still making money. This will help you to always have money for your bills and other necessities.
• You can retire and feel a little more comfortable knowing that you’re still bringing money in.
• You can start a family, and earning passive income can help you devote more time to your family since you may be able to work less.
• You can travel extensively and enjoy wherever you are exploring. Passive income can support you while you travel.

Challenge: Make a list of things that you want to do with your life and write down how earning passive income will help you make those goals happen. Finding motivation for a change can be a challenge in itself!

16. Increase your credit score.

If your credit score isn’t that great, then it’s important that you start trying to increase it. Your credit score is important because it can affect your interest rates, your ability to get some jobs, whether or not you are approved for a loan, and more.

Fortunately, there are easy things you can do to increase your credit score. You should watch your utilization rate on your credit cards, pay your bills on time, watch the amount of hard inquiries on your credit report, and so on.

Just a few percentage points can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars each month.

That means you can wind up saving THOUSANDS each year just by increasing your credit score. You can check your credit score for free with Credit Sesame.

Challenge: Start simple here and check your credit score if you don’t know what it is. Once you do, find out what’s hurting you and try to make a plan to improve your score.

Related post: How To Improve Your Credit Score | Step By Step

17. Practice self-care.

Self-care is simply doing something to protect your mental or physical health. It can be something like taking a nice long bath, meditating, drinking more water, etc. It’s spending a little bit of time to put yourself first, which is really what learning how to be a better person is all about.

When you are busy or overwhelmed with other aspects of your life, self-care is one of the last things you think you should do. But, when you take a small break to take care of yourself, the effects can ripple through the rest of your life.

You may find that your stress is reduced, you’re more productive, happier, and more.

Challenge: Find a simple self-care practice that you can start doing today. 

18. Keep a journal.

While I don’t have a journal, I do have this blog, which acts as a journal in a way. Keeping a journal can help you reflect on your past and lets you check in to see how you’re progressing as you learn how to better yourself. Plus, spilling your heart out every so often is great for the mind and for the soul.

Challenge: Write in a journal once a day, once a week, or whenever you want. Just keep it regular and be completely honest with yourself.

19. Cherish moments with loved ones.

You should never take a moment for granted with those you love. Take time to see your family and friends, talk to them on the phone, tell them you love them, and let them know that you are there for them.

Your loved ones offer you some of the most amazing moments we have, and you just never know what may happen to you or them.

When you are with them try and not to check your phone too often and be really present with them. I see too often families get together only to see every single person with their head down on their devices. Just because you are physically together doesn’t mean you are spending quality time with them.

This is one of the best ways to better yourself because it feels good for both you and your loved ones.

Challenge: The next time you think about someone you love, send them a text or call them to tell them that you’re thinking of them.

20. Pay off debt.

If you have debt and want to learn how to better yourself, now is the time to make a plan to change your life. Paying off your debt can lessen your stress levels, allow you to put more money towards something else (such as retirement), stop paying interest fees, and more.

My husband I paid off over $60,000 of debt in 18 months. Being debt free helped us to feel truly happier and less stressed.

Debt might be the thing that has been holding you back from being able to live life to the fullest, so let’s make this the year that you finally start eliminating your debt!

Challenge: This can be hard, especially if you have been avoiding your debt, but look at your total amount of debt. It will feel like you’re pulling the bandaid off so you can start making a plan to pay it off.

Related post: How We Paid Off $60,000+ of Debt in 18 Months|17 Life Changing Tips

21. Sit silently.

When was the last time you just sat down in complete silence with no distractions? For the average person, this is probably a rare occurrence.

Sitting silently can help you reflect on your life and what’s going on in the world around you. It can also help you relax, destress, and clear your mind.

Challenge: Every day or as much as you would like, try to sit down for anywhere from 10-30 minutes with no distractions whatsoever, not even music playing in the background

22. Read as much as you can.

Books are one of the best ways to learn more and explore the world around you. Spending just a little time everyday with a book is great for many reasons, such as:

• Providing knowledge
• Improving your memory
• Opening your mind
• Bringing out your creative side
• It is affordable entertainment

And more!

You can also read books in the form of an audiobook. I personally prefer audiobooks and podcasts to actual books.

Challenge: Go to your local library and borrow a book you’ve been wanting to read or listen to the audiobook version.

23. Get enough sleep each night.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average person needs around 7.5 hours of sleep in order to “function at their best.” However, the average person actually only sleeps around 6.5 hours.

Lack of sleep, according to HealthLine, can lead to issues such as:

• Impaired brain activity
• Memory problems
• Moodiness
• Depression
• Cold and Flu
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Weight gain
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease

So if you want to learn how to better yourself, you should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It will help you be more productive, become healthier, and live a better life.

Challenge: Start a routine of going to bed at least 30 minutes earlier than you normally do.

Have you ever taken part in any of these daily challenges? Do you believe that taking part in daily challenges can help you learn how to better yourself? Why or why not?

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