#1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
#2. Start facing your problems head
on. – It isn’t your problems that
define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. Problems will not
disappear unless you take action. Do what you can, when you can, and
acknowledge what you’ve done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right
direction, inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in
the long run.
#3. Start being honest with yourself
about everything. – Be honest about what’s
right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you want to
achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life,
always. Because you are the one person you can forever count on. Search your
soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are. Once you do, you’ll
have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and
you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get
there. Read The Road Less Traveled.
#4. Start making your own happiness
a priority. – Your needs matter. If you
don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re
sabotaging yourself. Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs
while simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met,
you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.
#5. Start being yourself, genuinely
and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is
a waste of the person you are. Be yourself. Embrace that individual inside you
that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know
yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms. Above all, be true to
YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
#6. Start noticing and living in the
present. – Right now is a miracle.
Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. So stop
thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what
did or didn’t happen in the past. Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and
experience life as it’s happening. Appreciate the world for the beauty that it
holds, right now.
#7. Start valuing the lessons your
mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re
the stepping stones of progress. If you’re not failing from time to time,
you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble,
fall, and then get up and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself,
learning, growing and improving. Significant achievements are almost invariably
realized at the end of a long road of failures. One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear
might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.
#8. Start being more polite to
yourself. – If you had a friend who
spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long
would you allow that person to be your friend? The way you treat yourself sets
the standard for others. You must love who you are or no one else will.
#9. Start enjoying the things you
already have. – The problem with many of us
is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level
we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a
friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc. Unfortunately, it takes awhile
before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new
destination in mind. You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward
something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now. So take a
quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and
what you already have.
#10. Start creating your own
happiness. – If you are waiting for
someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out. Smile because you can.
Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be happy with who
you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.
Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it. If you look for
happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it. But
if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too.
Read Stumbling on Happiness.
#11. Start giving your ideas and
dreams a chance. – In life, it’s rarely about
getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100% sure it will
work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Most of the
time you just have to go for it! And no matter how it turns out, it always ends
up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.
#12. Start believing that you’re
ready for the next step. – You are
ready! Think about it. You have everything you need right now to take the next
small, realistic step forward. So embrace the opportunities that come your way,
and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.
#13. Start entering new
relationships for the right reasons. –
Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person
you are and the person you want to be. Choose friends you are proud to know,
people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your
kindness and commitment. And pay attention to what people do, because a
person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others
represent them.
#14. Start giving new people you
meet a chance. – It sounds harsh, but you
cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made. People and priorities change. As
some relationships fade others will grow. Appreciate the possibility of new
relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work. Trust
your judgment. Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into
unfamiliar territory. Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready
to meet someone that might just change your life forever.
#15. Start competing against an
earlier version of yourself. –
Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that
competing against them is a waste of time. You are in competition with one
person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can
be. Aim to break your own personal records.
#16. Start cheering for other
people’s victories. – Start noticing what you like
about others and tell them. Having an appreciation for how amazing the people
around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places.
So be happy for those who are making progress. Cheer for their victories. Be
thankful for their blessings, openly. What goes around comes around, and sooner
or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.
#17. Start looking for the silver
lining in tough situations. – When
things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the
silver lining – the small glimmers of hope. Remind yourself that you can and will
grow stronger from these hard times. And remain conscious of your blessings and
victories – all the things in your life that are right. Focus on what you have,
not on what you haven’t.
#18. Start forgiving yourself and
others. – We’ve all been hurt by our
own decisions and by others. And while the pain of these experiences is normal,
sometimes it lingers for too long. We relive the pain over and over and have a
hard time letting go. Forgiveness is the remedy. It doesn’t mean you’re erasing
the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the
resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move
on with your life.
#19. Start helping those around you. – Care about people. Guide them if you know a better
way. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you. Love and
kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.
#20. Start listening to your own
inner voice. – If it helps, discuss your
ideas with those closest to you, but give yourself enough room to follow your
own intuition. Be true to yourself. Say what you need to say. Do what you know
in your heart is right.
#21. Start being attentive to your
stress level and take short breaks. –
Slow down. Breathe. Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward
with clarity and purpose. When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can
rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity. These short breaks will
help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can be
sure they’re in line with your goals.
#22. Start noticing the beauty of
small moments. – Instead of waiting for the
big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery –
find happiness in the small things that happen every day. Little things like
having a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning, or the delicious taste and
smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing something you enjoy with
someone else, or holding hands with your partner. Noticing these small
pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.
#23. Start accepting things when
they are less than perfect. –
Remember, ‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’ One of the biggest challenges for
people who want to improve themselves and improve the world is learning to
accept things as they are. Sometimes it’s better to accept and appreciate the
world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make
everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal. No, you shouldn’t
accept a life of mediocrity, but learn to love and value things when they are
less than perfect.
#24. Start working toward your goals
every single day. – Remember, the journey of a
thousand miles begins with one step. Whatever it is you dream about, start
taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen. Get out there and DO
something! The harder you work the luckier you will become. While many of us
decide at some point during the course of our lives that we want to answer our
calling, only an astute few of us actually work on it. By ‘working on it,’ I
mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result. Read The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People.
#25. Start being more open about how
you feel. – If you’re hurting, give
yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it. Talk to
those closest to you. Tell them the truth about how you feel. Let them listen.
The simple act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first
step toward feeling good again.
#26. Start taking full accountability
for your own life. – Own your choices and
mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.
Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will. And when
they do, you’ll become a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer
of your own. You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your
life. And no, it won’t always be easy. Every person has a stack of obstacles in
front of them. But you must take accountability for your situation and overcome
these obstacles. Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence.
#27. Start actively nurturing your
most important relationships. –
Bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply
telling them how much they mean to you on a regular basis. You can’t be
everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people. Decide who
these people are in your life and treat them like royalty. Remember, you don’t
need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain
of.
#28. Start concentrating on the
things you can control. – You
can’t change everything, but you can always change something. Wasting your
time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a
recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation. Invest your energy in the things
you can control, and act on them now.
#29. Start focusing on the
possibility of positive outcomes. –
The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually
doing it. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to
develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen
to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Regardless
of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take
the next positive step forward. No, you can’t control everything that happens
to you, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has
positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in
the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. Read The
How of Happiness.
#30. Start noticing how wealthy you
are right now. – Henry David Thoreau once
said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” Even when times are
tough, it’s always important to keep things in perspective. You didn’t go to
sleep hungry last night. You didn’t go to sleep outside. You had a choice of
what clothes to wear this morning. You hardly broke a sweat today. You didn’t
spend a minute in fear. You have access to clean drinking water. You have
access to medical care. You have access to the Internet. You can read. Some
might say you are incredibly wealthy, so remember to be grateful for all the
things you do have.
This is such a
wonderful list. If we take little steps every day and practice these things, we
can make great improvements in our lives. Share this post with your friends and
loved ones.
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