We only get one life, and we should all have the chance to live it to the best of our ability. Just a few small changes can dramatically affect the way you feel and have a huge impact on those around you. You can achieve what you want and be the best ‘you’ you can possibly be, all it takes is a little thought, planning and determination (which I’m sure you have in bucket loads!). What could be a more worthy cause than self improvement

Here is a list of twenty ways you work towards building a better and more fulfilling life. It’s not a comprehensive list, but it might get you thinking about what you can do to achieve the life you dream of!

1. Create a life balance. There are things we have to do, like go to work, do the washing etc, but there are the things we choose to do, which can give us real joy. There is no point working yourself into the ground, and then having no time to celebrate your successful career or spend the money you earn. Work/life balance is important, but so is balance in other areas of life. Balance time alone with time socialising, balance healthy eating with a treat now and then. The key is to prioritise the things that make you feel good, set still maintain your responsibilities to work, and take care of your body and family.

2. Setting goals for what you want to achieve is important. You know what you are aiming for and it can help you to plan how to get there. Setting mini goals along your path to a major goal can help, as it gives you a chance to take stock of all you have achieved so far, and can fuel your motivation to push further. Celebrate your success and document your achievements, so that when you set your next goal, you can feel empowered by looking back on what you are capable of.

3. Share your smiles with those around you. Not only does a smile use more of your facial muscles than a frown, it makes you appear a happier and more approachable person. Smiling on the outside can often encourage your inside to feel happier too! Making other people smile can be very rewarding, and laughing together can burn around 1.3 calories per minute… every little helps!

4. Spending time with your friends can be beneficial in a number of ways, socialising when you are feeling happy can be fantastic fun, but also when you are feeling low, having people in your life that you can turn to can help you through the hardest of times. A support network is essential to maintaining good mental health, so remember to support your friends in their hour of need too. Helping others when they need you can warm your heart.

5. Spend time with your family and share your life with them. Respect the ones who gave you life and keep them updated on it. Your family are your ultimate support network and a source of unconditional love. If you are not lucky enough to have a strong relationship with your relatives, your friends can be family too. If you have a family of your own, take photographs, make memories and make sure you make time for them. Children grow up fast, so spending time with them and capturing their growth should be one of your priorities.

6. Making time for love is very important, if you have a partner, just because you are already together does not mean you don’t have to work at your relationship. Maintaining communication is so important for a happy life together, as is making time for romance. Plan dates and special surprises; tell each other you love each other. Make each other feel special. If you are looking for love keep your heart and mind open. The partners we choose can change our life. Learn lessons from your past loves, but never see them as mistakes. Your past makes you who you are and shapes your future. How you view your experiences can affect how you behave in the future.

7. Eat natural food. Not only will you enjoy the pleasure of cooking from scratch, your food will be filled with the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy. As the winter months draw in hearty home cooked food is the best way to boost your immune system and feel comforted.

8. Get out in the great outdoors! Psychological studies have shown that being out in the countryside, taking in the fresh air can do wonders for our levels of happiness and self-esteem. Spend time in beautiful places, plan walks in the countryside and take on some of our world’s amazing landscape. Spending time outdoors goes hand in hand with other benefits too – exercise outdoors, relax on the beach, spend time with your partner or family. Get muddy, get sand in your hair, and get rained on. Once you let go of worrying about getting dirt on your new trainers and let go you’ll see how beneficial a hike in the hills can be! Besides, you (and your trainers) will wash!

9. Exercise is good for your body, health wise and aesthetically. It helps you look after your heart, keep your weight in check and maintain your mobility as you get older. Invest in moving your body now and you will reap the rewards later in life. Also exercise releases serotonin into the body, the ‘happy hormone’ and gives you more energy to live your life to the full!

10. If you treat others the way you wish to be treated, then hopefully they will return the favour. Being honest with people (and with yourself) can avoid stressful situations and worry, and helping others can not only make you feel good, it can enhance the lives of those around you. Altruism can promote good karma!

11. Make sure you feel your purpose in life, it might be a hobby, your career, charity work or raising your family. Having purpose gives you motivation to work hard and achieve your goals. Knowing you have a passion and spending your time on it will be fulfilling and bring you happiness.

12. Manage your stress levels. Stress can be toxic for your body, leaving you in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’. Having adrenaline and noradrenalin racing around your system can lead to headaches, depression, change in appetite, fatigue and anger. Find ways to manage your stress by solving problems, making plans and taking time out to relax, which leads me to the next tip…

13. Time for relaxation. Whether it is taking a long hot bath, getting out in the countryside, reading a good book or having a glass of wine, find out what relaxes you and make sure you factor time into your day to do it. Not only will it help you to reduce stress levels, it will give you time to reflect and process the goings on of the day, allowing for better sleep.

14. Address your health issues if you have any. You can achieve peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones by ensuring that you are as healthy as you can be. Understanding the medical history of your family can help you understand how to look after yourself, and take preventative measures for any illness running in the family.

15. Our planet is an amazing place, full of beautiful scenery, architecture and culture. With so many places to see and people to meet we should never be bored! Expand your mind, learn languages, travel and see the world. Experience new foods, new places, new ideas and traditions! A holiday can change your world and open you to amazing things! Appreciate how lucky we are to be so interesting and diverse! Get the travel bug and you will always have something to look forward to, or a new trip planned. You will always have something interesting to say and you will fill your life with memories people will want to share. When you look back on your life, and show photos of your youth to your grandchildren think how amazing it would be to say ‘here’s granddad in front of Ayres Rock’ and ‘here’s grandma at the top of the Empire State Building’.

16. Your home is where you relax, where you recuperate after all your adventures and where you find comfort and safety. It should be reflective of its purpose and present an environment where you can chill out and feel all homey and warm. Having clutter spilling from every corner is not good… a cluttered home reflects a cluttered mind, so get rid of the junk, invest in proper storage and make your home a calm sanctuary.

17. Spending time alone and thinking sounds like a simple thing to do, but many of us rarely make time to really think and feel what is going on for us. Time alone may be painful if you have some issues to work through, but thinking them through will be better in the long run than repressing them. Spend time to do an emotional check up, and if you feel there are areas you would like to work on, speak to others for help, or even see a counsellor.

18. Get a good night’s sleep as it prepares you for the day ahead. Also our body works to repair itself during sleep, and Human Growth Hormone is only released during the deepest part of our sleep cycle. If you struggle with sleeping try getting into a ‘bedtime routine’ to condition your body to recognise it’s time to sleep. Try a warm bath before bed, lavender linen spray or a warm drink of milk before bed.

19. Treat yourself once in a while. If you work hard and look after yourself you deserve a treat. A treat may be a way to pick you up when you are feeling down, or reward yourself for achieving a goal. Try treating yourself with something indulgent like a massage, or something exciting like a lesson in an adrenaline sport!

20. Stay true to what you believe and what you want in life, as living an incongruent life can be a fast track to depression. Take time to address your needs and look after yourself. Be yourself (who else could you possibly be!?).

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This entry was posted on April 5, 2011 at 4:20 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Motivation by jango | 1 Comment