30 THINGS TO START DOING FOR YOURSELF.
I recently discovered this lovely blog called Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive
Living and since I’m always looking for ideas to streamline
my productivity this motivational blog have loads of advice. And since it’s the time of
year to really reflect back on what has happened this year and look forward to
the new year,. Here it is, a positive ‘to-do’
list for the upcoming year 2013
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.
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.
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