This is definitely not a self-help.

The idea of self-improvement has crossed our minds at least once; work out, eat healthy, get 8 hours, and maybe even drop our vices. We get it, we can do these things. We can even drink our daily 8 glasses of water. Some of us who has the privilege can even think about our mental health; and yes, it's as important as our physical health and we should treat them as equals.

But even if we accomplish that, isn't that simply trying to survive? To be an acceptably functional human being? Don't get me wrong, it's an improvement in itself, but that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the Self-Improvement 2.0.

I try to imagine human beings as skyscrapers in the process of being built, constantly trying to stay upright. But for us to stay upright, we need that good foundation. We do need to work out, we do need to eat healthy, get 8 hours, and water. But after that, what do we do? It's time for the kind of self-improvement that actually builds our skyscrapers higher. Succeeding with survival, we need to get our skyscrapers as high as they can go.

That can mean different forms of building yourself. It boils down to how you want your skyscraper to look. Some skyscrapers are modern, with a nice view of the city skyline; while some are rustic with a good interior. (I think this analogy went off to multiple directions...my bad.) What I'm basically trying to say here is that you have to choose which trade you want to take up; may that be business, creative work, or even self-actualization.

Self-Improvement 2.0 demands a heavy emphasis on learning as your primary tool for building your skyscraper.

Why what for? Why do I need to improve if i'm already surviving?

I ask myself this very question when I see myself opening a book or a new article. Why should I read this book? Why should I continue learning how to write? I know myself pretty well and I have the tendency to settle on what I currently am. Even right now as I'm writing, with my headset blasting and my keyboards clicking and clacking, I'm asking myself why I have to write a blog post.

I usually answer myself with these words: I'm doing this because I'm not enough to reach my top.

Generally, I prefer that we all reach our top. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is for you." He said that ourselves is all there is for us. I have to agree with him on this. Take note that this isn't a self-help blog post. These are things that I have learned through rigorous trial and error.

Self-improvement logically states that there has to be something we lack, and is in need of improvement.