10 Small Things You Can Do To Become A Better Person

I believe the best thing you can do for yourself  is to try to be a better person, make a conscious effort to improve yourself and your life. Deciding to be better will not only make you feel better about yourself, it will bring better people, opportunities and possibilities into your life. Here are ten simple things you could do to become a better person.

1. Stay true to yourself.

The first step to being a better person is to stay true to yourself. Admit to yourself the good, the bad and the ugly and take it from there. The first step to try to improve yourself as a person is to be truly aware of who you are and who you are not.

2. Ask questions.

Ask people around you about what they know, or ask your friends and family about what they think of you. Sometimes talking to people helps us gain a new perspective or learn something new. Listening to what people think of you or how they run their lives can shed a lot of light and alter our thoughts and actions.

3. Don’t be stingy with compliments.

I don’t mean being fake, I mean genuinely complimenting someone on something they are doing or on who they are. A lot of times people want to feel appreciated and giving someone this small gift will make a difference in their day or maybe their life.

4. Help someone you don’t like.

It is easy to help someone you like, but it’s a lot harder to help someone you don’t like. But your actions should be a reflection of you regardless of who is asking for help. When you keep putting out good in this world, it will come back to you tenfold in unexpected ways.

5. Break up with your ego.

The ego sets us back from being truly kind and compassionate. It’s our ego that tells us we should get angry, or we shouldn’t talk to someone, or we shouldn’t forgive someone. When you put your ego aside, you start seeing things differently, you become less angry and you start noticing positive changes in your life.

6. Create something.

The value of creating work that can benefit other people is priceless, it can be anything small or big. A craft or a business, a blog or a book, a special meal or a whole restaurant. Always think of ways you can add value to your community.

7. Quit a bad habit.

Smoking, gossiping or judging. Quit a bad habit and replace it with a new good one. If you can’t quit right away, start in small doses until you can really let it go.

8. Smile at strangers.

It’s hard when you are in a rush or squeezed inside the metro to be gracious. But a little smile goes a long way. Smiling at strangers especially in the morning makes the day brighter for everyone.

9. Surprise someone.

Surprise your friends, or your partner or your kids. No matter how old we are, we are a sucker for surprises–good ones of course. And it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, sometimes a simple text will do, or a card or a letter. Get creative!

10. Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.

Steve Jobs’ famous commencement speech ended with this phrase. The phrase is an encouragement to keep learning and pushing yourself to do better things, while also keeping an open mind to try new things, and make mistakes. But as long as you stay wanting more, stay active, and stay looking for answers in your life without settling, you are on your way to being a better human being.