Table of Contents
You can start to improve your life by improving yourself which is not difficult, but will not be easy either. If you consider that 95% of your thoughts you have today are the same as the thoughts you had yesterday?
Did you know, that by the time you are 35 years old, you are a set of automatic subconscious patterns of memorised behaviours and emotional reactions? So essentially, you are living the same day today as you had yesterday. The same thoughts, the same decisions, behaviours and experiences. Kind of like Groundhog Day.
So if you don’t like your life the way it is and you want to be different, you ned to make changes. But not just today. You need to make changes that break the old habits and become new habits. Then these new habits will lead to new decisions and then new behaviours can be formed, which will lead to new experiences.
My life was all over the place in most areas and I was guilty of not taking charge of it in the first instance and then getting swamped down with all the things I tried to do. I just took on far too much. I felt like I never had enough hours in the day to do the things I wanted to do: “Same sh*t different day.”
There are two or three things I am still working on or about to start working on. This post is a reminder for me and a kick up the A$$ to get its sorted. I needed to break the bad habits because I was not enjoying the experiences I was having. Or, I was not having the experiences I wanted.
So, here are just a few simple ways to start improving your life that you can use to start steering yourself in the right direction and get your life in the direction that you want.
I started by removing a few things, bad habits and bad practises, to make space for the new and better things. Things that were not serving me well. Not to mention the time wasted, Overwhelm and of course the Procrastination!
Improve Your Life With A Daily Routine
Get into a healthy routine of waking up at the same time every day, even weekends and going to bed at the same time too. If we go by the research that most people require 7 to 8 hours sleep every night, decide now, what time you will go to bed.
Your routine should include a large glass of water once you’ve woken up. Not the caffeine or the nicotine (quitting the bad habits are next!) and then just sit for a few minutes of Mindfulness, Contemplation, Meditation. No need for stress because you have just had a full nights sleep, haven’t you?
You have woken up after a good 7 or 8 hour sleep, feel totally refreshed and you have woken up in plenty of time for any tasks you need to do and then off to work. That’s right yes? Oh dear…..
List of things to do tonight:
- Prepare clothes, shoes for next day
- Check weather or prepare Jacket/Umbrella/Boots anyway as this is the UK.
- Prepare lunch and snacks. Maybe even a flask. You will get better at this and maybe even prepare for the week ahead on the Sunday.
- Prepare Laptop/Bag/Paperwork for office.
- Pack/Charge headphones and download eBook/Playlist/Audible.
- What else is required?
This may take a little bit of experimentation and yes, things do happen, people come round and you aren’t a Monk/Nun. But keep in mind what you are trying to achieve and put Yourself First.
Quit The Bad Habits To Improve Your Life
I made this a bit of a challenge for myself. What is one thing that I can stop/quit that didn’t serve me?
I stopped drinking Alcohol. It wasn’t difficult to stop because I wasn’t a Friday/Saturday binge drinker or partier but I did get moments where I would see or think of a pint on a hot day. At those times I would ask myself “Do I need a drink?” and “What does it give me?” “What else could I have that would be better for me?” and such like.
I never Needed a drink, I’ve just been programmed to reach for a drink or enticed to have a drink at those moments; Hot days, Social events, Meals, etc. Yes, EVEN SOCIALISING. No alcohol.
If you think this is going to be difficult, are a many 0% drinks available now that will help wean you off the booze – oh, that infers it’s like a drug doesn’t it?
Although I have improved my diet significantly, attempting to go full-blown Vegan or Plant-Based hasn’t worked as I tried to do too much at one time – Remember, change ONE THING at a time!
Nurture The Good Habit To Improve Your Life
I wonder how many Bad Habits we can count, versus Good Habits. A Short Exercise for you. Get a piece of paper and a pen, or even open the diary and write down what you have done this morning.
Start from when you wake up and keep it going until you go to bed. Don’t forget now 😉
| Time | Good Habits | Bad Habits |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30am | Glass of water on waking up | Still in bed? Tired? Hungover? |
| 6:40am | Relaxing/Inspirational Music, Mindfulness, Journaling (My alarm is a playlist on Spotify) | Picking up the phone and checking notifications/messages/emails/news channels/etc |
| 7:00am | Exercise/Gym/Jog | Drinking Tea/Coffee/Alcohol on waking up |
| 8:00am | A Nutritious Breakfast | Forgetting Breakfast or eating a greasy/fatty breakfast |
| 1:00pm | Food prepared earlier in the week | Fast Food |
| 3:00pm | Short break Meditation/Breathing | Smoking |
| 3:20pm | Fruit/Healthy Snack | Another Drink, Another Cigarette, etc |
| 10:00pm | Meditation | Binge Netflix/Facebook/Social |
| 10:30pm | Bed On-time | Fell asleep on sofa, 1am crawl in to bed. |
Turn Off Notifications
I turned off all my notifications and set the phone to silent. It is pretty much like that 100% of the time. There are times when I might be expecting a call and I will put the phone on vibrate.
“I will not be at the beckon call of my mobile or social media.”
At least that was the plan. I still find that I consume too much Social Media but I am conscious of it and it is improving. The notifications are switched off so that I don’t get disturbed; even writing this blog post.
Today was a bit unusual as I had phone calls. They were expected in as much as I knew I would be called, but I didn’t know exactly when.
The thing is though, I don’t NEED to answer the phone or respond to an email or messenger/whatsapp message immediately. So I don’t and it feels Ffffffantastic! (insert another f-word if you like).
Start An Activity
There are some many activities you can start and these days, after the Pingdemic, many opportunities are online. Have you got some tech or some game/sport equipment gathering dust in a drawer/shed/garage/loft?
Take A Course
I have a Digital Camera and I wanted to learn how to take decent photos. The user manual….well, I don’t do User Manuals; especially if the print is too small. So now I know how to take better photos and I enjoy the challenge of creating the best photo. There is still room for improvement, but I enjoy the process now.
Start A Hobby or Join A Club
Taking up a hobby or an activity that you enjoy change your environment. And that is the next item to look at. You may not be a Gym buff but what about joining a club where they play Badminton, Dance or Run?
Change Your Environment To Change Your Life
Take a look around your home, your car, your office/work-space; are these spaces cluttered, dusty, untidy?
It may be that the clutter is a reflection of your mind. I know mine was.
Having a good tidy-up and clear-out of junk, really felt good. A weight off my mind, quite literally.
Learn from someone that inspires you
This doesn’t mean pay for mentoring, though that could be something you might want to look into. After all, Mentors will help you grow your skills, make better decisions, raise your confidence and gain better perspectives on your life and career.
There is research that has tied having a mentor to an overall increase in emotional health.
[POST :: TOP REASONS TO GET A MENTOR
Who do you know that has had some degree of success or achieved the things you would like to achieve? Take some time to have a chat with them, get to know them and what they do. They might spill the beans.
Examine Your Social Circle
Introducing these changes to your life, New Habits-In, Bad Habits-Out and keeping them is not going to be “easy-peasy”. Fiends, best friends, family and work colleagues, as much as they love/care for you, they are not going to make Your Transition easy.
There are many phrases I could quote how the company you keep and the people you associate with have an affect on you.
William Gibson, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, Woodrow Wilson, Leonard A, Cole, Kevin Hart
The bottom line is that They will not want you to change. Because, you changing for the better, raises your level up and leaves them down there, where they are comfortable.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- This is Your transformation/journey nobody else’s.
- People do not want to be changed.
- Don’t try to help/take people with you.
- As exciting as it is, only share with people that ask. And even then, keep it on the low.
Learn From Successful People To Change Your Life
You can learn a lot from others, particularly those that have become successful (you can learn from the unsuccessful too by Not doing what they have done). And I don’t know about you, but I’d like to learn from people that have achieved what I am aiming to achieve – not from the ‘expert’ Brother-In-Law or that friend that knows everything about everything.
You’ve probably heard of Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey but maybe there are other people you know and have a connection with.
Modelling their behaviour, getting in to their mindset and take actions that have got them to where they are today. Many of these people share on social media and you can binge watch them (as its studying for the greater good) as long as you connect with what they stand for, say and teach.
If you know someone personally, who has achieved great success doing something that you dream of doing one day, why not get chatting to them and ask them how they got to where they are.
[POST:: Why You Should Model Others For Your Own Success]
Start a Blog/Post About Personal Development
Writing about something requires experience and/or research. By recollecting and researching, you become enlightened. Or at least, you remember things and get educated in the subject. Realisations for me as I am preparing and writing this piece, also remembering things that other people have said to me over the last few years. It is interesting how you remember the things you’ve forgotten that you know (I’ll let you read that again).
Take A Break
This can be as easy as going for a walk at lunchtime and/or weekends. There are plenty of internet sites and even Apps that provide information on walks and events local to you. Setting a schedule for this is quite a good idea too and treating it like a reward after a tricky task will make it even more significant and more likely that you will take the break.
Look Into Meditation
A great starting point for Meditation is the Headspace website or even the program on Netflix. You don’t have to sit there “Humming” and “Ohmming” in the full lotus position. There are different ways of meditating that involve movement as well as sitting still; Yoga, Martial Arts, Walking.
Commit To Looking After Yourself (First)
When you are on the plane and the aircrew are going through the emergency procedure:
“In case of a cabin pressure emergency, put on your own mask first before assisting others.”
This is not you being selfish, so don’t feel guilty. If you take too log putting your mask on, you’ll be no use whatsoever to anyone. You’ll be unconscious, or worse.
By looking after yourself, keeping fit and staying in healthy body and mind, you can do much more to help others. You will have so much more energy and more of a positive vibe about you.
People will want to be around you and work with you.
In Summary
To change you life, you need create the habits: Start and End Your Day at or as close to the same times each and every day. Get enough rest and have a Morning and Evening routine you can stick to. If you can’t, this will lower your self esteem and confidence, which is clearly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.
It is better to quit one bad habit at a time because that it is more manageable. You can stay focused on that One Thing to avoid overwhelm and ensure consistency to see it to a point where it is no longer a Habit. Be consistent and persevere!
Just like quitting, only nurture one New/Good Habit at a time or you will find it too difficult to maintain and you will simply get fed up. Change is Good and outweighs the Bad. Be consistent and persevere!
Remove all your non-essential Notifications from the phones, tablets and all other devices. Turn the volume off.
Learn a new skill, hobby or take a course. This will expand your mind, divert your attention and allow the “friendly chemicals” in you brain to give you that lift. Your confidence and self esteem will grow. This is what you’ve been waiting for.
Tidy and/or change your environment. Get out the house/office. Go for a walk at lunch time and at the weekends. Find new places to go.
Learn from someone that will inspire you. It could be a group of people like a network, a club or a meet up. If you don’t enjoy it, you can always find another one.
Examine your social circle and see if you could change the amount of time you spend with certain people. Don’t disown them, just find other things to do that you enjoy, mew people to socialise with that will get you closer to the outcome or place you want to be.
It takes a step to move in a direction, but its takes the right steps to head in the right direction. Or to use a phrase that I’ve quoted many a time:
