For example, it can be helpful to know that forming a new habit generally takes about 66 days. Knowing this can help you maintain your resolve when things seem tough.
Make them small, though. This life improvement stuff isn’t about setting yourself up for failure and thus becoming miserable and downtrodden. Make goals, but keep them small. Make a goal to work out 4 times this week instead of that lofty aspiration to lose 25 pounds. Decide to do the dishes before they pile up. Get up right now and floss. It’ll never get done until you think about doing it!
Now that you have a few things you’ve identified, start getting rid of them. In fact, this could be your goal. Fix that faucet (or call a plumber). Tell your friend that the sentence, “I don’t mean to brag, but. . . " isn’t doing her any favors. Bring a painting home and hang it in the living room. Imagine how good it will be see that list of yours shrink!
If you took 20 minutes right now to pick up, you’d feel a noticeable sigh of relief. It’s one of the simplest things to do, and yet we humans are so prone to not doing it. 20 minutes! That’s it. You might not be finished, but seeing that your life is starting to get organized is great motivation to continue.
Don’t know how to budget? As if wikiHow would leave you with any excuses. How to Budget Your Money practically covers all your bases for you. Start stocking up on suntan lotion now! If you’re having trouble budgeting on your own, there are a bunch of online resources for you. Sites like Reddit have personal finance sections where you can get tips from other people like you. There are also a number of softwares that make budgeting fast and easy.
In fact, leave everything where it is. That fight you had with a friend? Leave it. You’ll deal with it when you need to. Your dad’s degrading health? Be as caring for him as possible, but then go home and be that ray of sunshine that you are. Everything has its place. If you take every worry from every domain in your life and combine them, the chaos will be intolerable.
If you’re of the mind that you have nothing to be grateful for, you’re not doing it right. For starters, you have a computer of sorts since you’re reading this, so there’s that. There’s probably a roof over your head, people in your life that care about you, and you’re breathing right now and all. Those are all pretty awesome things, really. Without them, there’s nothing else.
If you set out to do something, you should set out to do it well. Becoming truly good at something is such a good feeling. The other things that you want to do will happen in time – right now, pick what’s on top of your list. Have you always wanted to learn a martial art? Play the piano? Paint? Fix cars? The only time to start is now!
It’s fine if you don’t know right now. It’s fine if your answer is something totally intangible and abstract like “being afraid you’re not yourself” or even being afraid that you are. You’ll get somewhere a bit more concrete soon; just keep it in mind. A generic unhappiness or sense of anger is a red flag that something’s up. And you do know the reason why. It’s just hiding from you for right now.
If your answer to that first question is “yes,” then there’s no correct answer to the second question. It’s going to suck, it is. There’s no two ways around that. But after it’s done, the weight off your shoulders will make you feel like you have wings (without the Red Bull). And then you can start spending time with people who make you feel like your life is exactly where it needs to be. Or, heck, you could start spending time with you.
Odds are you know if the job thing is sticking in your craw. And for the record, it’s totally normal not to be crazy about your job. It’s a job. That’s why it’s called “a job. " But if your boss’s cornflower blue tie is your weapon of choice when you picture his impending death, that’s not. Know where you fall on the spectrum before any conclusions are jumped to. You may even consider exploring your entrepreneurial side, if that type of work appeals to you. Start by turning one of your interests or hobbies into a side business, and see if will grow from there.
It’s a lot easier than you might think. People do it all the time and they thrive for it. The reason plenty of people are scared to do it is because they haven’t had a taste of it before. Abandoning the only thing you know is, yes, a scary prospect. But once you do it, once you see that you can handle it, it becomes exhilarating. A new life awaits! Now where to?
It’ll be so much easier to budget your time when your head is clear and you’ve destressed . A little meditation can get rid of all that noise and pressure that we all have in the day-to-day. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it – you could be surprised by just how effective it is for you! Alright, not a meditation fan? Then try yoga. Not only will you burn 5 calories a minute, but you’ll get that same zen feel like you would in meditation. That mental sigh of relief or breath of fresh air – now that’s life improvement!
This is a good mantra for pretty much everything. “Stop and smell the roses” has more truth to it in this day and age than ever before. So when you’re sitting with your best friend over coffee, think about how great it is. When you’re watching the sunset, think about the beauty in front of you. So many people don’t even realize what’s in front of them!
Health is such a big part of the game – but you never think about it when you have it. The second it goes away, however, nothing else matters. So do yourself and your body a favor by drinking an extra glass with every meal. Your body will do the improving for you!
If you eat slower, the calories may come off themselves! Studies show that those who eat slower automatically eat less without even thinking about it. [15] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Create a list of easy-to-make snacks. When you can reach for a healthy, easy snack quicker than you can that McDouble, what are you going to choose? Making health accessible is the only way you can stick to it. So keep half a dozen choices in your pantry – fruits and nuts, mainly – and the snacking will no longer be an issue!
Do you know who this idealized you is? Think of their qualities. Their tendencies. Their habits. Create this character in your head. Avoid basing it off another person, though, or making comparisons between yourself and others. Accept who you are and visualize who you want to be. [16] X Research source
In the end, everything that matters is in your head. It’s how you feel about it. You could wake up tomorrow and you’re life would be improved simply because you feel it’s improved. So grabbing this chatter in your head by the horns and taking the reins is really the only way you can get to that improvement. The bad news? It’s a challenge. The good news? You have all the power!
Take a minute to remember what drew you to them in the first place. Are they funny, kind, quick-witted, smart, or honest? Do they make a mean chocolate cake? Always remember to TiVo your favorite TV show? Not laugh at you when you have food stuck in your teeth? Exactly. Not everyone does that!
Our minds reward us for being social. How else would humans survive if our brains weren’t trained for it? So the more effort you make, the wider your social circle will feel, the more people you can depend on, and the better your life will be. It’s the small stuff that’ll get this done!
If you’re at a loss for how to start, try disconnecting first. Disconnecting to connect, that’s right. Put down your phone, take out your headphones, stop checking your email every 5 minutes and start staring life in the face. It’s the only way you can recognize and take advantage of the people and things in front of you. It’s the only way to get the most out of everything. Is what’s on your phone (Candy Crush, really?) that much more interesting than the people in front of you?
Improving someone else’s life is a way to improve yours. The logic doesn’t seem totally direct, but it’s just as simple and just as effective. And it’s much more enriching knowing the world is better because of you! Need some examples? Help your old neighbor get around. Have a friend that has three kids, all with extracurriculars? Offer to pick them up from school. Give your waitress who’s in grad school an awesome tip. And if someone does something for you, be sure to pay it forward!
An hour a week makes a difference. And if you’re thinking, “What’s in it for me?”, even apart from it feeling good, it looks great on resumes and just in general conversation. Loads of people hold down jobs, a family, travel, read, and make time for the gym – very few of them add volunteering on top of that.
