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Grow, Give, Listen & Play: Counseling Advice for Self-Improvement in 2018

Teri Karjala • Jan 10, 2018

It’s 2018 and anything is possible.  You’re ready and rearing at the starting line, wondering how you’re going to fill that blank slate of a new year that lies before you. Maybe you’re going to run your first marathon. Buy your first home. Learn a new language. Travel to an exotic foreign country.

Or maybe your goals don’t need to be quite as lofty. Maybe all you need to do is grow, give, listen and play. Let us share some simple counseling advice for self-improvement in 2018:

Grow
Fear of the unknown often keeps us stuck. There are dangers of a stagnant life—remaining still leads to atrophied motivation, paralyzed passions, and an existence that essentially shrinks you down to less of who you are. Take time to allow your desire to impact the universe grow larger than your fear. But prepare yourself for some discomfort that goes hand-in-hand with growth, step into the unknown, and allow your life to expand into something extraordinary.

Give
The world is not going to give unto you until you give unto it. Give back and create some much-needed value on this planet. Be generous, not just with your tangible assets, but with your strengths, talents, thoughts, love and time. Help a friend. Guide a team. Get involved with a charity.  

Be optimistic. Be a fountain, not a drain, by leaving a room a little better than before you entered it. Maybe you’ll inspire others to do the same, and wouldn’t that be an extraordinary world to live in?  

Listen
To yourself. Start recognizing the lies your brain tells you in attempts to keep you safe. Notice the various thought patterns racing through your mind: find the thought pattern filled with ideas about who you are as a person and what matters most to you. Don’t let that thought pattern get swept away by the one filled with sunsets and glitter and puppies and rainbows.

It takes practice to truly hear yourself, but, in time, you’ll find that your thoughts will enable you to take positive action rather than keep you spinning your wheels in the same old mud.

Play
Goal-setting is important. But sometimes—just sometimes—it’s important to relinquish control of our lives and just roll with the punches. When we take a playful approach to life we will establish a way to focus on the good stuff, no matter what path we’re on. When we play, we stop beating ourselves up for not reaching our goals and start understanding that our self-worth and happiness are not dependent on getting what we want. We start seeing that how we show up in the here and now is what really matters—not the  shouldsoughts  and  wants .

Go out and live your game. Have some fun. And keep playing, because you’ll just get better and better at it.

Contact Creative Counseling Center

If you enjoyed this counseling advice for self-improvement and are interested in other ways our team of therapists can guide you towards the life you’ve always envisioned for yourself, complete the brief form below to request a free phone consultation. Based on your needs, we’ll pair you with a therapist uniquely designed to help you through whatever obstacles are standing between you and an extraordinary life.

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teri

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Teri Karjala is a Licensed Professional Counselor & Marriage and Family Therapist. She is the founder and Executive Director of Creative Counseling Center, LLC. Working in the field since 1999, Teri and her team of therapists specializes in counseling for those who have experienced trauma. They work with children as young as age 2, as well as teens and adolescents, adults, seniors, families, and couples.

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