To approve something and To approve of something have different meanings.
To approve of something = to believe something is good, appropriate, suitable.
I approve of Twitter's banning of Donald Trump.
I do not approve of children staying up very late.
To approve something = to give official agreement or permission
The board approved the cuts to the budget.
My boss approved my request for leave.
I personally would never use the second one to talk about myself because I am not in an official position to give such approval for anything.