Start Self-Development Right Now
These 8 things will change your life forever.
1. SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROLS
Social media makes it difficult for me to let go. There’s always not enough determination to control it and it’s more likely that social media will control me. One of the most commonly known bad triggers for social media is addiction, fear of missing out, and so on.
Young people may usually use social media to try to get to know new people, such as new acquaintances, new friends, or a new crush. It’s not surprising that I also use social media for stalking which can waste time.
It’s not a waste of time. Until in the end I lost track of time because there was so much content on social media that allowed me, consciously or unconsciously, to be consumed by confusing information that I couldn’t control. Also, I can’t follow the photos shared by its users — except for young people who have special skills in stalking.
Recently I decided to use social media — such as Instagram — as just a tool to channel the writing I write. I put a lot of content published on various platforms into one social media.
Nothing more than social media being a means of communicating with old acquaintances or fairly close friends, thus minimizing the lack of communication between the two parties.
Wisdom is needed in controlling social media. One of them may be to limit its use, both for duration and a certain time.
2. WRITING A JOURNAL
Turning 25 years old has made me realize that I can immediately express my emotions explicitly. Writing a journal allows me to try to describe feelings, such as feelings of happiness, excitement, or sadness.
By frequently writing in a journal at least once a day, it is not impossible to train me to be more able to reflect on myself for better conditions in the future.
Journaling can also be used as time for meditation. Where time is spent on yourself, which also comes out of yourself.
I do journal writing activities using handwriting. Because it’s not just the things above that are my main goal, but also to practice manual writing skills, such as handwriting, which may be rarely done because of the many alternative tools, such as keyboards.
3. EXERCISES
I was so happy when I set a running record for the first time with a distance of five kilometers. That feeling of joy, even though it’s not the first time now, I still feel every time I run or jog.
Running also makes it possible to enter meditation mode, because my condition when running is completely away from all the hustle and bustle of everything that is rushed.
I use sport as an opportunity to get to know my own capacity. When I run, I also measure how much capacity my lungs can hold to maintain oxygen while running.
The cardio exercise I usually do is running or jogging casually in the afternoon. Other cardio sports that I do to train other parts of my physical abilities are like playing basketball.
For heavy exercise that can mostly be done at home, such as push ups (training the arms), crunches (training the stomach), sit ups (training the thighs), lunges (training the legs), pull ups (training the shoulders and chest), and other movements, train and maintain physical strength and also balance cardio.
4. SKINCARE
Skincaring is a habit that I do now. Because it’s nothing more than taking care of your appearance and maintaining your self-confidence, especially as a man. The most basic things I do in skin care are none other than washing my face regularly, using moisturizer, or using sunscreen.
Not only that, taking care of your mind is also a factor that can take care of your physical appearance. If you are tired, it is better to rest to prevent your face from premature aging. Moreover, pay more attention to bedtime so it’s not too late.
5. DO THE TASKS
Working or carrying out tasks without distractions (working in-depth), such as cell phone notifications or activities that can reduce focus on doing something, is my future target for achievement. Sometimes the contents of the head can also fall into this category.
As a writer, of course you need focus. To publish good writing, you need quality. Meanwhile, quality results from how focused the writing process is.
Sometimes I work on one task, but also while doing other tasks. Multi-tasking is indeed needed in the current era of digitalization, but if you do it half-heartedly, the results will not be optimal.
6. LEARNING
No matter how many books I’ve read lately. Even if there aren’t one or two types of books that discuss basic knowledge about scientific disciplines, for what?
So far, I have tried to be able to read things that are still related to the topic: writing skills, fiction — both classic, favorite and contemporary fiction), self-development and general science.
Reading without discussion is like eating without drinking. Even though currently there is still little to be able to discuss the things I read, and there are very few people close to me who also have the same interests, I still try to provide output about everything I read, whether in written form, sound recordings or videos.
Because humans are social creatures, they cannot be separated from the four basic factors of human language: speaking, writing, listening and reading. So with the discussion I hope to be able to increase my ability to communicate, because communication is important nowadays.
7. HOBBIES
Since I was little, I have loved drawing. Yes, even though there are still many shortcomings, I still continue to do the things I have loved since childhood. These days I am trying again to build bridges that were once broken due to age-related factors.
Even though my dream of becoming a painter had disappeared, my infatuation with art never died. Sometimes, sometimes, I still have to create something in the form of painting — because I don’t want to leave the bridge when I was still at school.
8. SPIRITUALITY
As a religious person, of course deepening in worship is very important for spiritual health so that faith or belief is maintained.
I often neglect my obligations to carry out worship. Even so, currently I am still struggling to correct these shortcomings. By re-reading the holy book, appreciating the reading, and knowing the meaning of the reading, both prayers during prayer and the contained verses of the Koran.
FOCUS ON LIFE FOR TODAY
In the end, all the actions you do today if you do it just to hope for something — such as a reward for kindness — will definitely be in vain and cause you to feel tired.
Just do what you want to do. And don’t forget to accept and feel enough.
Accept yourself with all your shortcomings, whatever they are: not having friends, a boyfriend, a job, loneliness, alone, fear, worry, and whatever. Hug tightly all the emotions that exist — that’s a gift that God has given.***
