In life, the only person that you can ever really control is you. If you look back on some of the things that you’ve done in the past, it’s sure that there are things you would change. There may be points where you look back and think: ‘why did I do that?’ It’s a common thing, so don’t feel like you are alone in feeling this way, you’re really not.

Photo, Andrea Tummons.

However, this shows you that you have grown as a person. When you no longer agree with the choices that you once made, you are proving to yourself that you have matured, changed, and become a better version of yourself. Your goal should always be to try and create a you that you can be proud of and content with; something that is going to be looking at in this article.

You don’t want to look back and wonder if you made the right choices, or regret the things that you did. Making the changes now is going to save you a lot of hassle in the future. Keep reading if you want to learn more.

Be Kind To Others: First, you should always be kind to others where you can. You never know what someone else is going through, and you don’t want to be the reason that anyone else is having a tougher day than they were already having. Being kind isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t cost you anything, which means there is no reason for you to be anything but. If someone accidentally bumps into you, let it go, don’t get mad. If someone doesn’t say thank you when you’ve done something kind for them, let it go, don’t get mad. Don’t stop being kind just because someone else isn’t because that defeats the purpose of being kind for the sake of being kind.

You want to be the person that people think of when they think about nice people; even if it’s a complete stranger two years down the line thinking about that one time a perfect stranger helped them pick up something they dropped. It really is the simple things that have the ability to change someone’s whole day, so be the person that is always friendly.

Photo, Robin Jonathan Deutsch.

Do What You Can: It’s not about doing the best thing in the world, it’s about doing whatever you can when you can. If you know that someone needs help, why not help them? Unless it is going to cause a problem with your health or a problem with the people you love or care about, there is no reason that you shouldn’t be doing what you can at all times. It doesn’t have to be big things, and this is often where people get confused. You don’t have to change the world with your actions, but you never know how much of one person’s world you can change simply by helping them.

For this reason, it’s always encouraged that you be on the lookout for ways that you can help. Obviously, it is not always going to be possible, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. You also shouldn’t feel too disheartened if you can’t help, because sometimes this is the case. As long as you are helping where possible, you can be proud of who you are and what you are doing.

Photo, Averie Woodard.

Travel Where Possible: Travel can often play a huge part in learning about who you are, and you would never want to deny yourself this opportunity. Becoming more aware of the other cultures in the world, the way that other people live, and respecting it helps to build character. You learn about yourself and the rest of the world at the same time, so it’s always something that is worth doing. You can also find some wonderful projects that you can take part in if you want to, such as building houses in first world countries.

Photo, Brooke Cagle.

You can look back on these experiences and reflect on how much you have grown. You will also know that you did everything that you could to help someone when you were traveling and growing, which is a wonderful feeling.

Love Yourself: Loving yourself in a society that profits from you not doing this is one of the best things that you can do. If you can manage this, then you should be super proud of yourself no matter what else you achieve in your life. It is okay if you only save one person while you are on the planet, and it is okay if this person is you, so never think that it isn’t. Trying to love yourself can be a difficult task, and if you are having some confidence issues, then you should try to address them as quickly as possible. For example, it might be the case that you don’t like the way that you smile, but this has a simple fix if you visit a dentist as they will be able to sort this for you. Or, you might not like the way that your skin looks, so try everything you can to sort it out, and if it doesn’t work, speak to a doctor.

At the end of the day, though, when you look back on your life, you don’t remember how you looked when you were doing something. You only remember what you were doing, the way you were feeling and the others who were around at the time. The best thing that you can do for yourself is love yourself for the person that you are mentally as well as physically. It is always more important to be kind, be compassionate and be a good person than it is to be pretty.

Follow Your Passions: Living a life full of regret is not something that you want because it doesn’t feel good. When you look back on missed opportunities that you could have taken but didn’t for whatever reason, you’re not going to feel proud of yourself. Unless there is an emergency or a really good reason as to why you can’t follow your passions, you should be doing this. They are the things that keep you going, the things that give you a reason to want to do better and you should do everything you can to pursue them. Of course it can be a little scary, but it is more scary to think that one day you are going to look back and wish that you had made a different choice. When all is said and done, it is going to be the things that you did not do that you regret.

Photo, Sharon McCutcheon.

Love Unconditionally: No matter what anyone else does, if you can manage to love unconditionally, then you are already someone that you can be proud of. A lot of people have love that comes with some kind of condition or strings, but that isn’t the way that it should be. You should be able to love without expecting something in return, and giving your heart to those you care about without demands.

Photo, Caleb Gregory.

This is not to say that it’s always going to be easy, but it’s something that a lot of people don’t master in their lifetime. It’s for this reason that if you can do this, then you can already be proud of yourself.

Be The Person You’ve Always Needed: You should always try to be the person that you have always needed. If there was a time in your life where you really needed somebody and there was nobody around for you, try to be that person for someone else. Attempt to be a positive force in their life, helping them in any way that you can, and doing for them the things that you wish someone would have done for you. Sometimes people think that because they’ve had bad luck in their life, others should too, but this isn’t true. Life is different for everyone. Circumstances are different, but that doesn’t mean that often we don’t all go through the same kind of thing.

Remember how it felt to be alone, and don’t let anyone else feel that way. Be there, be the rock, and provide the support that you know you can. By doing this, you are being someone that anyone would be proud to know, including your younger self, who didn’t have someone like you.

Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful, and now understand more about how you can create a you that you can be proud of. This isn’t an extensive list, and of course, there are plenty more things that you can do, but this is an excellent start. Start taking those steps now, and pretty soon, you’re going to become the person that you’ve always wanted to be. Good luck on your journey.