Self improvement is one hot industry!  It seems that just about everyone wants to become the very best person that they can become, and are always searching for new ways to improve on aspects of themselves that they consider to be lacking.  The problem is that so many of us make the excuse that we don’t have the time or the energy to bother with self improvement.  We have jobs that get in the way, and we don’t want to spend what little time we have left continuing to “work” do we?  No, we want to enjoy our time away from “work”.  So what is one to do?

I have a solution to this problem that may work for you!  Now logically, if you consider self improvement to be a form of work, then wouldn’t it be better to be able to do it while you are at “work”?  Of course it would!  So that’s exactly what my proposed idea is to do, use work as a form of self improvement, not just as a means to collect a paycheck.  Now, of course, this will work a lot better in a healthy local job market, and for people who don’t have a predetermined career path planned out.  For these people, I want you to keep an open mind!

The Overall Idea

The thing about self improvement is that in order to improve on any skill that you have, then you need to practice that skill and eventually apply it to your muscle memory, so that you can concentrate on finding better ways to do it.  This isn’t always easy for a variety or reasons.  However, working at a job is almost always repetitive in nature, and will allow you to practice what you do for a living over and over again until you become awesome at it!  The idea is that you should seek out a job that will allow you to improve on a skill that you want to improve on.

Cooking Skills

Let’s say that you want to improve on your skills in the kitchen.  Then look for a job at a restaurant.  Any restaurant at all, as long as they serve real food and are not simply warming up frozen processed foods.  (I.E. most every Fast Food restaurant)  Trust me, if you go to work in the kitchen of a restaurant that does even remotely decent business, your cooking skills will increase at an unbelievably pace.

Math Skills

Any job where you handle money on a daily basis will help you to refine your math skills.  Not only will you be forced to deal with math every time you give change, but at the end of the day when you need to count down your drawer, you’ll need to use a calculator to make sure that every cent is accounted for.  Doing this every day will help you to feel more comfortable with numbers.

There’s also carpentry.  Anyone who is a handyman (or woman) will need to deal with fractions and numbers on a daily basis.  You’ll need to get really good at math and with numbers in order to do this, so this is a good way to perfect your math skills.

Social Skills

Maybe you’re like me, and you feel like your social skills need some practice.  Well, there are plenty of jobs where you must interact with people, and this is a good way to refine your social skills, because for the most part, these people aren’t going to pretend that you’re charming if you’re not.

Companies are always looking for sales people.  The type of people who can push their products on the public.  If you’re social skills are something that you’re looking to improve, you’ll find them getting better in no time when your paycheck depends on it!  Then again, just about any customer service job will help you to interact with people as long as you do it on a daily basis.

Get In Better Shape

This technique has worked wonders for me.  Back in 2003, I was in, by far, the best shape of my life, because of the job that I was working at.  Can you guess what my job was?  It wasn’t a factory job where I was lifting heavy loads repetitively.  I wasn’t building houses or anything like that.  I wasn’t doing hard work or even breaking a sweat for that matter.

I was stocking shelves at a grocery store.  The simple fact that I was on my feet for six to eight hours a day, and walking around was enough exercise for me to lose twenty pounds in the course of six months.

In 2009, I decided that after being at least fifty pounds over my ideal weight, that I would seek another job where I could lose weight while I worked, and that’s what I’m doing now.  I am a waiter at a Mexican restaurant, and over the course of three to seven hours a day, I get in a lot of walking time.  And in the last four months, I’ve lost twenty pounds.

Just Keep In Mind…

Of course, there are hurdles, such as the fact that employers like to hire people with experience, instead of people who are wanting to learn the craft.  However, most employers understand that it’s better to hire someone with no skills who has a better attitude than it is to hire a skilled worker with a lousy attitude.  You can explain this in your job interview, and tell them that you are eager to learn a new skill and try to convince them that once you learn that skill, you will be pleasant to work with.

Also, I must remind you that you will almost always be starting at the entry level of your new job when you go this route, since you will be entering a new profession without any skills.  This is all right!  In fact, this is what the idea is all about.  You are, in essence, a lump of clay that is ready to be molded into form, and a blank slate in which you can learn your new skill.  It’s only logical that you will start out at the bottom of the ladder when you enter a new field.  This is why this form of self improvement works better for young people than for older.

However, you’re never too old to learn something new.  In fact, I have a saying that goes “You’re not old until you stop trying to learn new things”.

So if you’re ready to try something new in your career, or you just want to refine your skills in an area that you may feel weak in, maybe it’s time for a new job?

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Do you agree? Disagree? Would you like to take your day to day frustrations out on a total stranger who writes on a blog? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” then by all means, leave a reply!

Also, read up on my other Self Improvement articles, such as “30 Days To Self Improvement” and “Eliminate Failure From Your Vocabulary“!

And go ahead and check out our exclusive interview with underground rap artist, V-Sinizter. It will change your life, for the better!

And don’t forget to check out Swollen Thumb Entertainment on Twitter and MySpace!

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