Men, how do you go about improving yourself? Women, how do you interact with that process? And vice versa.

This is as much for myself as it is for anyone begining their own journey.

I've always been curious how other people "grow" as individuals. I know my own lived experience, I can recognize to some degree how I have changed and grown and pushed myself, but I also know that the journey and destination and methods are probably vastly different for many people. But that there's also probably some similarities between similar kinds of people, or maybe not?

For myself, it typically begins with a realization of some kind. An empathetic moment, an exercise in sympathy, a physical or moral or ethical failure on my part or from someone against me or something I witness. I know I know, "Hey guys, this dude just discovered being alive and having experiences and observations!".

But seriously, if you see something you don't like about yourself or your experience and you decide you want to change, what do you do? Do you make a big plan? Do you jump in and just start throwing stuff out of your life? Do you buy a book or gadget? What's your process?