One of my favourite websites is The Toast, it’s filled with witty articles and heart-breaking stories discussing topics that would never have even occurred to me but written so engagingly that I can’t help but be interested. I highly recommend that you add this blog to your regular-reads-list.

A recent article (Getting Better All the Time: On Self-Improvement) by Nicole Cliffe, one of the founders really made an impression on me. The topic, self-improvement, could easily be dismissed in a sort of New-Agey, self-help-y fashion but in this case I was actually interested in examining what I really want to achieve in my life. The article points to a change in the way women look at their future selves. To generalise, their diaries were previously filled with ambitions to be better people (kinder, more charitable, etc) which has evolved into ambitions to be better-looking people. This is important, I think.

So, what are my ambitions? How would I like to improve my Self? Well, before I read the article I probably would have also said dull and typical things like “I want to be healthier; to look better; to exercise more”. But after thinking about how selfish and inward those are, I’ve changed my mind a little bit. I now have a couple of more expansive ambitions that I need to articulate more clearly, but I have at least started thinking about them.

I’d like to stay in contact with my friends and family better
OK, that’s a pretty simple one – more emails, more Skypes, more Facebook messages and more postcards (I love sending postcards!).

I’d like to contribute more
This is a little more broad as it covers work, society, home and everything else. I’d like to be more confident about sharing my opinion and getting involved. This one says that I want to blog more, talk more and learn more. I want to be a part of things more.

That’s it for now, although I expect it will change and evolve.