Everyone has goals, hopes, and dreams. No one is completely satisfied with his or her current situation, even if you ask them and they say yes they are happy; there is always room for improvement. It may seem, however, that there are some people who have no goals or dreams, and they simply wander through life being guided by the forces and trends of society.

Becoming too complacent in life invites idleness, which could lead to different problems. For instance, going to work and coming home, watching television then going to bed day-after-day places the mind in a revolving zone. Nothing changes. In the realm of imponderable happenings each day, people suppose that new things happen to them when in fact they do not. But the laws of life tend to disillusion people to just that.

Problems such as unrecognizable depression, lustful temptations, displaced anger toward friends and loved ones, and other social-psychological disorders lodge themselves into the thought patterns of millions of people and steals from them hope and ambition. Breaking the mode takes self-discipline and a desire to improve on self. For people who are caught in this web of social monotony here are seven ways to improve yourself:

1. Gather your thoughts - the first thing that needs to be done is to recognize the state of monotony in your life. Do you go to work and come home to sit in front of the television then look forward to bedtime? If so, does this happen more than four times a week. Are people getting on your nerves? Does your idea of excitement involve something immoral?

If these things are so, gather your thoughts because you are caught in the zone. Think back to what you were doing before you fell into the zone. Think about your high school years and college years and what ambitions you had planned for your life. Write them on paper and evaluate which would be an easy one to accomplish now in your life, and then act on it.

2. Reevaluate your job situation - are you happy at your job? Is there potential for advancement? How long have you been there? Most likely, if you have been on your job more than five years you are in the zone, unless you travel frequently and are fortunate enough to experience various styles and walks of life every other week. If not, consider other employment opportunities.

Since working consumes the majority of our day and lives, your job contributes a lot to the zone. Everyone should always reevaluate their job situations when discovering they are not happy or moving ahead in their life.

3. Reevaluate your home-life - the home-life is the other most consuming factor in everyone's life. There are some people who are happy with their jobs but miserable at home. Is your marriage or relationship going well? Do you avoid or dislike going home after work or anytime? If you live alone, do you ever have company and if so is it less than you would like or more than you would like?

Change normally adds excitement to life. Make changes at home from the normal routine. Go places after work with the family. Take pictures together or insert a family night into the week to just talk. Unplug the televisions for a week and seek out other forms of entertainment that do not require electronics. Believe it or not, electronics also play a major part in the monotony in our lives.

4. Take classes or self-study - learning is always interesting. Not learning and not having the desire to learn is the result of social thought reform. People become accustom to acquiring their information from radio and television not realizing that the information they receive is filtered and limited information, and even sometimes inaccurate.

Choose your best subject from high school or college and read about it. Either take a class or set yourself a schedule for studying at home. Again, discipline is a trait many people lose after succumbing to social routine. The information you learn can be passed on to others in many ways; through seminars you could give at the community center, pamphlets you write and leave at the library, or articles in a local newspaper.

5. Start a home business - If making money interest you, starting a home-based business not only help on the financial end, but also invite your creative mind to begin again. The business does not have to be a large one needing employees and a company fleet, but could include immediate family only and nearby neighbors.

Networking the business is the best part because you meet new people all the time who have other interest that might encourage you. The challenge of succeeding in business is a mind stimulator. It also revives hopes and dreams that were stolen in the cycle of the social zone.

6. Begin an autobiography - whether you write it yourself or have someone else write it for you, an autobiography takes you back through your years and places your life on paper. There, you can evaluate it more and possibly recapture some of your lost dreams. An autobiography also builds your character and self-esteem.

Time always reveals answers. If you lost yourself somewhere down the road of life, a nice, though-provoking journey down the road traveled could jar loose many memories and experiences. Confronting old memories is a good psychotherapy for the mind and soul and should be evaluated by all people.

7. Start or participate in a group or movement - this is normally where people find their calling in life. If you are not already involved in one, group participation is good for character. If you are involved in one, take leadership roles and think of new ideas and ways of improving the group. Take challenges and undertake solutions to problems.

If you have leadership potential and strong convictions, start your own group or movement. Accepting the challenge of a social problem (and there are many) is always good therapy and it helps increase the power of the mind.

Whatever steps you take in improving your life, they do not have to be big steps but steps that break the routine of the social zone. The first step is to recognize that you are in this zone and have the courage to break free. After self-discipline and some support from others, once you break free you can accomplish much more toward improving your life.

© 2003 by AfroStaff