spiritual techniques
self improvement
The idea of "Self Improvement" is only really to refer to the idea of overcoming specific aspects within ourselves which we may feel are holding us back from what our fullest desired potential is, and is not supposed to cause feelings of inadequacy towards who we already naturally are.
If we wish that we could do something, but we simply cannot do it due to fear/anxiety for example, then self improvement would be to elevate yourself into a position in which that fear did not prevent you from achieving what you have desired for yourself. This comes from a self-judgement of what is best for you based on what you want in your life, for others may be content as they are.
Most people in this world however do have certain aspects of themselves which can be focused on and improved upon, just as one might always improve on a musical instrument through practicing. Therefore, if you are interested in improving certain aspects of yourself, the first important thing would of course be to identify precisely what those things are.
The other thing is that upon identifying each aspect of ourselves that we would most like to improve on, it may at first seem to be quite overwhelming or confusing on where to begin - and so it is important to first just list out and organize all of the aspects of ourselves we would like to change.
To do this we might just start to take note of ourselves more through the day and how we react to each circumstance, and how we might better react to it - and then begin to list out those aspects of ourselves that we feel we could improve on. We can also go into meditation for the purpose of studying these interior aspects and where we might improve upon them, or what is holding us back from reaching our fullest potentials (what our setbacks and patterns really are).
After observing ourselves for some time and making a list of all the things we might improve on, and which we would like to change, then we should actually count these up and list them in order from easiest to most difficult to change. We should then dedicate an entire week just to the first (or until we overcome it), and continue through the list one by one, until we have overcome each individual aspect of ourselves which we would like to improve upon. Focus only on one at a time, and in this way we are breaking down the problem into a much more achievable format - especially due to working from the easiest to the more difficult. Often the more difficult can actually be results of overlooking those smaller aspects - which when overcome, can have a significant positive impact on the seemingly more difficult aspects. By focusing on just one at a time, we can succeed.
Do not focus on changing anything that you do not actually wish to change, for then you will only embitter yourself - but if it is something you sincerely wish to change, then you absolutely can.
We should first observe, list, and categorize what we would like to change. And then gradually focus on each aspect, one by one, until we have been able to overcome those things. There are some aspects which are more deeply rooted and so it is not always as simple as this to change fundamental aspects of ourselves, but there is a great deal that we CAN achieve through this.
Experiment with what works best for you, and document for yourself the results.