Regardless of what stage of life you may be in, anyone trying to achieve something is going through some sort of process, and self-improvement is the end goal for this process. A monk meditates to become enlightened, just as a football player goes to practice to get better. If you’re lucky, you are born into circumstances where your overall general process has been to go to school, get good grades to get into college, graduate and get a job in a field of your major, and if you’re really lucky, you enjoy your job.