Habits, then, form a central idea in behavior change. Being able to make certain behaviors automatic (or at least, more automatic) is going to help tremendously with any change you might want to make. To get fit you need to have a habit of eating well and exercising. To get rich you need a habit of saving and investing. To have loving relationships you need good habits of communication.

Not only are habits central to self-improvement, but they're also one of the best studied aspects of psychology. We have countless studies showing how the impact of association, rewards, punishments and contextual cues will have impacts on behavior. If you're looking to dive deeper into habits, I recommend: How can you reach a destination if you don't first know what it is? Goal-setting not only involves deciding what you want, but also planning how you should get there. It's a common theme, even if many people disagree about which aspects are most important.

Systems, like goal-setting, also have detractors. Spontaneous, intuitive, creative or emotional approaches to improvement may be suppressed in an overly rigid system. Nonetheless, understanding systems, even if you choose to apply them selectively, is a core concept worth knowing.

In any field, there are a few ideas that are core to understanding everything else. Biology makes little sense without evolution. Physics without symmetries and conservation laws is baffling. All mathematics can be built out of sets. Self-improvement isn't usually regarded as an intellectual field.

What are the Core Ideas of Self-Improvement? | Scott H Young

Sumit Kumar