Whenever an idea of improving something appears, some guiding principles will describe what that improvement could be.

For some improvement will mean fixing a problem or whatever seems to be wrong.

Others will look at improvement with the desire to reach some milestone or end state that creates a situation where everything will be perfect.

And yet others will think about improvement in terms of improving someone else.

All these forms of improvement can be limiting when based on the assumption that something is wrong, needs to be changed, and can be resolved. They negate the possibility that learning is the desire to improve based on the possibility to improve. They transform previous efforts into a state of not being enough. The unconscious hope such assumptions of improvement create is to reach a state of being enough, get rid of whatever problem there is, or reach a state of bliss where there are no difficulties anymore.

It is one of these subtle nuances that can pass unnoticed. They originate in a belief that is taken to be true and remains unquestioned. The visibility of such a belief is often restricted to a sense of continued struggle or obligation to improve.

It is also one of these subtle ideas that, once realized, can transform one’s attitude toward improvement. When it happens, there might be very little to change in what we do and yet, as limitations have fallen away, the way improvement is approached will have changed.

The starting point is to gain clarity on what improvement means for oneself and what can truly be achieved.