Here are today’s 14 quick and simple ideas on how to improve life.
1. Take an oath to constant self-improvement.
Pick something that you want to improve about yourself. Your social skills, your golf game, your health and nutrition plan, anything. Then take small steps towards it every day. It will make you feel better. Get on a self-improvement program and stick with it. I began to use this strategy about three years ago and I have come a long way since then.
2. Narrow your focus.
Sometimes there are too many things on our minds and too many activities in our lives. Cutting out the fluff can help.
3. Criticize yourself but don’t get down yourself.
You have to find a balance here. Self-criticism can help you grow but too much self-criticism can get you depressed. You have to be objective enough to see and know your faults but detached enough to step back from them. Then you can work on changing them.
4. Change your state.
Sometimes people get into habits and into habitual states. Emotional states become imprinted in our souls. We repeat them over and over, day after day. Anything that will interrupt this pattern is a good thing. Exercise, travel, meeting new people, moving to a new place, getting a new job, ect…
5. Improve your health and nutrition.
Learning about health and nutrition basics has helped a lot of people make positive changes in their lives. The key here is reading and putting things into practice. I have a friend who has lost about 55 kilos (that’s 121 pounds) simply by making dietary changes, taking some supplements and walking up the hill to work, twice a day. Small changes can lead to huge results if you’re consistent with them.
6. Relax.
No matter how hectic life can be sometimes, you have to give yourself the time to let go completely. To let go of job stress, relationship stress, anxiety, errands, everything!
7. When you think about negative things, focus only on the things you can do something about.
Bad things happen in life, and when they do, we make them worse when we focus on them, dwell on them, loop them over and over in our minds. Finding a way to raise your self-esteem is a great idea. You need a method, it won’t happen by itself. I know, I’ve been there.
Anger, despair and exasperation only make things worse. The important question is not what happened, but what are you going to DO about it?
Do you take the misfortunes that happen to you and use them to grow as a person? Or do you let them get you down on yourself and ruin your present and future as well?
8. Learn.
When something bad happens to you, learn from it. This is the way to turn it into something new and more positive. You made a mistake? Don’t do it again.
9. Let go of the past.
The past is an anchor that weighs us down. Being able to let go of the past is essential. In fact, the ability to forget is probably more essential than the ability to remember things.
10. Cut down on the use of external stimuli.
Television, the bullshit they try to pass off as “news” every day, the entertainment industry and other forms of escapism, too much caffeine or alcohol, etc… If you do any of these things too much, you become a stimulation junkie.
11. Try new things.
Get out of your comfort zone.
12. Structure your day.
If your problem is that you don’t seem to be getting things done no matter how hard you try, then this should be your top priority. Make a schedule and stick to it.
13. Find a spiritual practice that suits you and stick to it.
Neigong is my favourite. Chinese breathing exercises are an exceptional way to get healthier and strengthen every aspect of your mind and body.
14. Never give up.
I’ve had some very negative experiences in my life. When these things happen, you have to fight your demons and take hold of yourself.
The important thing is to put some of these simple ideas on how to improve life into practice.
