To be human means to have a long list of wants. Whole religions are dedicated to banishing our desires, but our natural state is to be full of ambitions and wants. People want to become successful, to be happy, to have a lot of money and a lot of things. The drive to achieve and gain can be calmed to an extent by success, but — in the case of the biggest achievers especially — it never really goes away. We always want more. We always want to be better.
And that can be good, as long as that energy is harnessed the right way. When the thirst for achievement leads you to become a better human being professionally and personally, you and the people around you all benefit. If you have a thirst to better yourself, take advice from experts. Here are a few ways to make yourself more successful, wealthier, happier, and better to your fellow humans.
Never stop learning
When we enter this world, we don’t know much of anything. For the rest of our childhoods and our young adulthood, we’ll be learning. That’s what schools are colleges are for, of course. The experts at Excelsior College (whom we’ll return to in a bit) point out that collegiate learning tends to be broader than strict career training, and this reflects our thirst for knowledge as an end to itself.
Of course, not everyone keeps the spirit of learning alive after they graduate. Busy young professionals may read fewer books and take fewer opportunities to develop new skills. But if you want to better yourself and improve your future, you should do the opposite. Take every chance you can to learn more at work and from your peers. Read voraciously. Watch a documentary instead of a rerun from time to time. If you’re always learning, you’re always improving.
Return to school
Learning is something that you can and should do throughout the course of your daily life, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something special about institutions of higher learning. The specialized educations and resume-boosting degrees offered by great universities can help you accelerate your career — or change tracks entirely by enrolling in an online courses like the Excelsior Nursing degree program. Excelsior College regularly welcomes students who are returning to school after some time in the professional world. These are students who are looking to better themselves and open up new professional and financial opportunities.
Find ways to give back
After achieving incredible success in the areas of medical and financial malpractice law, Howard Fensterman didn’t have much left to achieve professionally or financially. But, like so many others, success didn’t quell Fensterman’s desire to better himself. He found other ways to improve, and some of his achievements have been wonderful blessings to less fortunate people.
Fensterman became a philanthropist, something that not everyone has the resources to achieve. But each of us can find ways to improve our efforts at giving back to our communities and to those less fortunate. If you can’t part with the money to donate to a good cause, consider donating your time by volunteering. Volunteering will allow you develop new skills while doing work that you’re passionate about.
Seek mentors and professionals
Everyone has something they’d like to improve about themselves. But, too often, that desire to be better manifests as self-loathing or stubbornness. People punish themselves for their failures or push themselves to “fix” themselves on their own. Starvation diets, overambitious professional plans, and other overzealous and under-nurturing methods are like cramming for an exam; they rarely work, and they’re unpleasant (and often temporary) even when they do.
A better way to support your own efforts to improve is to turn to the people who have gotten to where you want to be. From personal trainers to professional mentors, these people can help guide you through your self-improvement process. This is as true for your mind and soul as it is for your muscles or your resume, so seek out mental health care professional or spiritual leaders. Our personal growth doesn’t need to be so personal.
