As a parent, I say a lot of things to my children that I’m not so sure that they understand. I can’t force them to comprehend something that they aren’t ready to receive. But, there is nothing wrong with planting a seed that, over time, can be nurtured into something beautiful.
Life is like that. It hardly ever changes overnight. Not for the better, anyway. So, keep planting those seeds. Keep reading and learning. Keep pushing in the right directions, and before you know it, your life will blossom into something beautiful.
#1 Love
Love with abandon. Don’t hold back. Remember that love doesn’t always have to be romantic love. You can love a friend, a co-worker, your job, the way the sun sets behind the mountains. Above all else, love yourself. Don’t hold back just because you’re afraid of being hurt, to live a full life means to take risks. Don’t approach life with fear in your heart that leads to nothing but heartache, missed opportunities, and failed relationships.
#2 Get Rid Of Your Bad Habits
You know what your bad habits are. Eliminate them from your life. Take just one at a time, rewire your thinking and replace each bad habit with a good one. This will take discipline so take your time and don’t be discouraged. Don’t expect to change yourself overnight. Enlist the help of family or friends to keep you accountable. There are even apps that you can download to your smartphone that will help. If you can’t stop eating cookies (a bad habit of mine 60lbs ago), then find something healthy to replace them with half of the time and slowly wean yourself off of them until you no longer crave them.
#3 Stop The Negative Self Talk
What you say to yourself is more important than what other people tell you. Get into the habit of telling yourself positive things, all that garbage you tell yourself does you no good. Replace the negative self talk with positive affirmations. What negative thoughts are the loudest? How often are you saying them? Start replacing the negative with something positive. If you keep telling yourself that you aren’t smart enough, come up with a few reasons why you are and start telling yourself that instead.
- I have what it takes to live a life of success because I have the skills and know how to get it done.
- I don’t lack the brains to realize my dreams, I have what it takes to get the job done.
Whenever you start telling yourself that you aren’t smart enough read your positive affirmations out loud. Read them with conviction. Believe them. I know this is weird, but trust me, this will make a huge difference.
#4 Expand Your Mind
Read. Listen to podcasts. See the world around you, not just what’s in front of you. Learn to consider things without accepting them as your own. This allows you to see things from other people’s points of view. Don’t be so quick to anger, seek to understand, and love people because they are different.
#5 Mediate and Reflect
Give yourself time to think about your life and the choices you’ve made or are going to make. Slow it down and consider your actions. Take the time needed to understand better why you are making the choices you are making and if they are congruent with the life you want to live. If they aren’t, then see #2 above.
#6 Create Your Opportunites
Don’t wait for them to come your way because they may never come. Instead, create your opportunities and then follow through with them. You can choose to wait for things to happen or you can do what it takes to make them happen. The choice is yours.
Reflection
What can you add? What are some other life strategies that we can use to better our days moving forward? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comment section below. What say you?
Thank you!
This is amazing! Ive been working on a few of these lately. I’m way behind, but I’ll catch up! One step at a time 🙂
That’s all it takes, one step leads to another and then another. The hardest part is starting and it sounds like you’ve already done that. Keep going!