do
Learning as mentioned here is a more complex concept because it actually contains two different meanings.
The first meaning is literally “learning”, which is very important for students, people who are eager to acquire new knowledge, and the second meaning refers to a basic mental process, whenever we make a change based on an experience, do something better, or recall something, we are actually learning.
In terms of the second meaning, learning can then be seen as one of the core concepts of self-improvement, although it is often overlooked and most people understand it in terms of the first meaning. As with habits, much careful research on learning already exists.
Recommended reading list:
Ultralearning.
Deliberate Practice (PEAK: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise)
Values and significance
The 5 core concepts mentioned earlier are essentially practical concepts that help to fulfill certain purposes. However, the core concepts of self-improvement also include reflection on those purposes.
This question can be understood on two levels. First, you need to find a meaning or value system as a way to keep you self-improving and catching up. It could be Stoicism, Buddhism, Christianity or some kind of secular humanism.
The second level involves investigating and understanding meaning itself, an esoteric task that philosophers often do. For the average person, this problem may be too abstract. However, it is on the basis of this complex system of frequent contradictions that understanding meaning and value itself will, on the contrary, help you to enhance your decision-making ability.
Recommended reading list:
Meaningfulness
Man’s Search for Meaning.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Flow)
Thoughts and Beliefs
By thoughts, I mean the conversations you have with yourself in your head. Many mental thoughts don’t come in the form of words, but these ever-playing self-narratives are an important part of our lives and a way to achieve our goals.
Some people will understand a belief as a propositional statement, such as a non-logical judgment question; some people will treat a belief as a probability statement, such as a 90% chance of “yes”; and some people will argue that there are no beliefs in our minds at all, and that beliefs are simply inferred through our behavior.
Regardless of the specific form of thoughts and beliefs, they are central concepts in self-improvement from a number of perspectives. First, beliefs and thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Many people believe that there is a causal relationship between thoughts and beliefs and behavior, and that you can get caught in a cycle of self-limiting beliefs as a result. Because you believe these beliefs, you think they are true.
In addition, thoughts can produce emotional feelings, and we may wish to control our thoughts even if we don’t specifically want to change an external outcome. For example, persistent worry may produce troubling voices in your head telling you that success doesn’t matter.
Regardless of where you fall, there is no denying that the core content of thoughts and beliefs are critical for self-improvement.
Recommended reading list:
Getting Back Inside Yourself and Reading a Little Stoic Every Day (The Daily Stoic)
The Elephant and the Elephant Rider: The Happiness Hypothesis
Awaken The Giant Within
For self-improvement, there are many related concepts beyond the core elements, such as compound growth, progressive training, and so on.
They are also important, but may not be as generic as the core elements.