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There are two paths to self improvement.

The first is the self-critical approach. This is the hustle hard, sleep when you’re dead, race-towards-your-goals mindset we are familiar with, and the reason it’s so appealing is that it provides a false sense of motivation. If you work hard enough, this mindset promises that you will awake one day rich and happy and fulfilled.

Not only is this promise unrealistic (no matter how hard you work, you’re still going to feel like crap sometimes), it’s also harmful, pushing you to neglect sleep, downtime, and relationships.

Furthermore, focusing on the distance between where you are and where you want to be creates tension. It creates this feeling that you’re not achieving enough, not good enough a person, and this feeling lingers even after you reach your goals.

But there is an alternative–acceptance.

Total acceptance creates peace, a space free from pressure to change, to achieve, to be noteworthy.

We are all facing the same problems. We are imperfect, and that’s okay.

When you are content, self improvement stops being a race, and instead becomes a journey.