Examining Self Improvement
By Mike Taylor
As members of a folkish nation, we often talk amongst ourselves about striving to become better, but have we given much thought to what it means, what it entails, and how it might be done? Have we backed up our talk with meaningful action? We all want to be better, of that there is little evidence to the contrary. In general, men want to be better husbands, fathers, and brothers; women want to be better wives, mothers, and sisters. But what does it mean to be better? What does it entail? How is it done?
What follows is my understanding of self-improvement. Many years over several decades have gone into its development, and many lessons were learned, sometimes painfully. According to the first element of the Marine Corps Rifleman’s Creed, “This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.” Well, this is my self-improvement journey. There are many like it, but this one is specific to me and my experiences.
Meaning
On the surface, becoming better in its simplest form means improving. Athletes want to be stronger, faster, or more conditioned. Artists work to perfect their craft. Scholars strive to broaden and deepen their knowledge. Tradesmen seek to master their specialization. Warriors seek to become deadlier. The list goes on but the point is made. The culmination of becoming better simply means improving in one’s area of expertise or increasing a capability in an area not of one’s specialization.
People can improve in anything. Take the above professionals out of their particular comfort zone or specialization and put them in another. What would happen? They would likely be out of their depth and need to learn a whole new skill or trade. This is also improving, becoming better. After all, they are learning something new.
Each profession requires aptitude, knowledge, learned skill, training, and – most importantly – experience. Athletes and warriors need to train, artists need to practice, scholars need to study, and tradesmen need to work, all in their areas of expertise. These are great examples, but they only tell part of the tale. They only identify a small part of what it means to improve, to become better, to become their better selves.
If one accepts that premise, then one must ask some important questions. What do we improve? In what areas do we “get better?” What are the parts that make the whole? And – finally – how do we improve?
Components
If one examines the potential areas of human improvement, most will identify three or four specific components. In the past, I have considered three – body, mind, and soul. I now believe there are four major areas people need to address if they are to become better.
Physical
The physical aspect of self-improvement is the most obvious, for it is the one everyone sees. People can size a person up at just one glance, for better or worse. Sometimes these snap assessments are accurate; in most cases, they are not. The physical component comprises much more than merely a person’s appearance. Included as subcomponents within the physical aspect are capability (what one is currently can do), capacity (one’s potential capability), and health (the driver of capability and capacity).
Capability represents what a person can do in the present moment. All prior practice and training have led to a person’s capability. One way to look at capability is as a starting point for improvement. As the saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.” A person cannot go back in time to improve current capability. He or she must take honest stock of his or her capability and recognize that this is their starting point for future improvement.
Capacity represents what a person might be capable of in the future. From today onward, all work at self-improvement is toward this goal, whatever the specifics. As capability is one’s starting point, capacity is one’s goals, one’s potential capability. Returning to the tree saying in the previous paragraph, capacity is the 20 years from now after you plant that tree today. Capacity is the realization of all your hard work towards achieving your potential capability.
Capability and capacity, however, do not exist in a vacuum. A person’s health feeds into both and is a major determinant of both. Engineers liken a person’s health to input, which affects output. If you have inferior input, your output will suffer. We are only able to affect our input so much, however, because aside from our nutritional intake, which we can control, we must contend with our genetics, which we cannot influence a bit, let alone control. In short, we are born the way we are; therefore, we must take what action we can to ensure our input maximizes our capability and sets our capacity up for success.
Intellectual
The intellectual aspect of self-improvement refers to your brain, both in terms of what it has learned and what it can learn. Whatever you call it – school, education, study – improving your intellectual aspect never stops. When babies are born, they begin learning immediately. Why would people willingly stop learning as they grow older? The intellectual aspect includes a few subcomponents, as well. These include education (book-learning), experience (life-learning), and training (supervised learning).
Education represents one’s accumulation of formal instruction, akin to the “readin’, writin’, and arithmetic” of old days. This is where we learn the basics of life, as dictated by our educators, be they public, private, or family. This accumulation of basic knowledge provides a foundation from which we conduct our own explorations, as epitomized by life experience and subsequent training. Formal education may continue past the formative years for those seeking specialized certifications, credentials, or skills, or it may continue for the entirety of one’s life. The choice is up to the individual.
Experience comprises everything one encounters throughout one’s life, good, bad, or ugly. What we do with those experiences determines not only our character as a person but also our future as a member of the folkish nation. Good experiences can provide positive examples for subsequent generations. Bad experiences provide life lessons for the individual enduring them as well as others witnessing them. Good may come from bad, after all, and experience is vital to our intellectual growth.
Training includes practice in any number of skills. These can be skills as rudimentary as writing or as complicated as electrical engineering, or anything in between or beyond. Along with education and experience, training forms a key subcomponent of the intellectual self-improvement each person must consider if one is to get better at anything or learn anything new.
Mental
The mental aspect of self-improvement is the most difficult to quantify, for it is composed of emotions and feelings. Many people are not comfortable discussing these two subcomponents let alone recognizing their importance. A person’s mental health, however, is crucial in overall self-improvement. As bad health can jeopardize physical self-improvement, ill mental health can derail overall self-improvement.
Emotions consist of raw reactions to a present reality that manifest in physical sensations in the body. Feelings, in contrast, are less tangible and can be created or influenced by things we have experienced, felt, heard, or seen in the past. Neither presents the actual truth of any given situation; rather, they represent our personal perception of the reality we experience. Both need to be treated carefully lest we lose sight of reality and enter dark places we need not go.
Spiritual
The spiritual aspect of self-improvement, like the mental aspect, can be difficult to quantify, so the approach to understanding and addressing requires a bit of delicacy. Everyone’s spiritual journey is different and tailored to the individual. There are countless factors that influence the direction, pace, momentum, and ultimate destination for each journey. To improve – become better – spiritually, one must assess where one has been, where one is going, and how one is getting there. This requires both exoteric and esoteric examination.
The exoteric aspect consists of external or outward examination across a broad spectrum of surface-level knowledge and understanding. In contrast, the esoteric aspect includes a more internal or inward-focused examination covering a less broad but deeper dive to get at the underlying knowledge and understanding. Both require introspection to varying degrees, and both require different practices. Some people are more suited for the exoteric path while others fit better in a more esoteric path. The important thing to remember is that self-improvement can come for either one, but the best way is a combination of both. This is of extreme importance because men and women are, first and foremost, the Gothar for themselves and of their family, and they must guide the spiritual journey for both. They cannot do that if they are incapable of individual spiritual self-improvement.
Process
Now that we have covered the four major components of self-improvement, how do we put it all together? How do we balance becoming better on all four fronts? This, my kinsman, is the key question. One can divide one’s effort equally across all four major components. One could also prioritize one over the others as needs require. One could focus on one per day, alternating each day. Or one could do something else completely. It really is up to the individual and his/her needs, availability, and willingness to work. It really does come down to that last thing. If there is little or no willingness to work on oneself, very little self-improvement will occur. Conversely, if one is serious and dedicates the time, energy, and effort into becoming better, one will meet with success. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and discipline over a lifetime.
Here is my specific approach. Remember, there are many approaches but this one is mine. I share mine to demonstrate one way a person can engage in self-improvement in the face of obstacles – physical, personal, or professional.
Physical
I have many limitations due to my age (no comment), a long military career under a heavy ruck, jumping out of perfectly good aircraft, many years torturing my body with various styles of martial arts, and several self-inflicted injuries (get me a good stout beer and I will regale you with the wild tales). Does that mean I am incapable of physical activity? No. What it means is that I must – primarily through trial and error – figure out what I can and cannot do and then develop a long-term sustainable program to get stronger, faster, quicker, more mobile, more flexible, more capable, and deadlier within the parameters my physical limitations have set for me.
Physical self-improvement is not just about jacking steel in a big bro gym or doing MMA and sharing the photos. It should include anything that makes you able to live longer, healthier, and more productively. Use the time you have available and if you find you do not have more than a few minutes at a time, use that time wisely. What is better, an hour block of time lifting weights or four 15-minute sessions of physical training? The correct answer is – it depends. Some may not have the luxury of long periods of time to dedicate to training and must build a program around multiple shorter sessions during the day. The key is consistency. Do something – anything – and do it over a long period of time. Improvement will come. Get active, be active, stay active.
And do not neglect the many faces of physical self-improvement. Strength counts for little without endurance or conditioning. Conditioning does not mean much without fighting skill. The best approach for physical self-improvement must cover all the bases - mobility, flexibility, strength, endurance, conditioning, combatives, and nutrition. Find something that works for you. If you are not improving, you are regressing. Your folk deserve more. Become better.
Intellectual
At my age, this is my strong suit. Time is the major limiting factor for intellectual self-improvement. Rather than give up, I adjust and make use of the time I do have. As with the physical aspect, intellectual growth can be done in a single study session or short bursts of focused work. As a historian, my intellectual self-improvement focuses primarily on refining my craft and expanding my breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding. If I have to choose between TV and a history book, the book wins out every time. If I have long commutes that eat up good portions of my day, I use audiobooks to make productive intellectual use of my time. There are countless ways to become better; you just have to find the one that works for you right now and be able to adapt to changing conditions in the future.
Mental
It took me a long time to find a way to improve my mental health. Meditation did not work, as my mind was all over the place and I could not find a way to concentrate for any length of time. After the Althing in May, I reached out to one of the RFU gothar for guidance. (Yes, old dogs CAN learn new tricks.) Implementing his guidance, I am now able to dedicate time each morning for focused meditation. What worked for me was focusing on single concepts or tangible things rather than trying to just clear my mind. By concentrating intently and singly, I was able to block out everything else. This is but the first step of a very long process, but the path is charted. All I have to do is follow it and expanding/refining it as I grow. How about you?
Spiritual
I thought this was an easy one for me, since I love to read. But reading the source material and many other books out there that examine our faith is only half a solution. Reading and studying is great but if you fail to practice your faith, you are missing the boat. The opposite holds true, as well. If you practice your faith daily but fail to study, you are also missing out. The best way to spiritual self-improvement is through a balanced approach. Each must complement the other. Research and study must drive practice and practice must reflect research and study.
In addition, what you practice and research and study today will not be the same a year from now. As you grow and mature in the faith, your knowledge will broaden and your understanding will deepen. As such, your practice will evolve and your research and study will be refined. There is a saying attributed to Heraclitus that goes, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” My approach to self-improvement, especially the spiritual aspect, reflects this ancient wisdom. What about yours?
Where do we go from here?
This is where I end my ruminations. Now is the time to think about your approach to self-improvement. Consider why and how are you doing it. Is your approach efficient? Is it right for you? What adjustments do you need to make? These are questions you should be constantly asking yourself.
We are part of a growing folkish nation. Therefore, we represent our folk every day. If we are not improving, then we risk stagnation and – eventually – decay. If we stagnate and decay, the folkish nation stagnates and decays. Get out there and improve yourself. Every little bit helps. Become better. Become the ancestor your descendants would honor and venerate. Become your better self. Do it for you, do it for your family, do it for your folk, do it for your faith. This is the only way. The better you are, the better the folk is as a nation.
I will close with an oft-quoted statement, the origin of which I do not know. “Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, character becomes your destiny.” Charting your destiny starts first with thought. Take that first step – for you, for your kith and kin, for your folk, and for your faith.