Many people want to change their lives, but few can dare. It seems that global changes require much effort and work on yourself. As a matter of fact, it’s enough to let into your life eight simple but very useful habits. According to John Rampton, an entrepreneur and blogger, these eight steps will let you become happier, more productive, and more successful.
Program yourself for positivity only
Thoughts and actions depend on emotions more than it may seem. Should you get disappointed because of bad weather or mess at work, you don’t want to do anything. Negativity quickly invades our life: any petty thing may spoil our mood, which means that a whole day is spoiled as well. What can be done about it? Program yourself for positive thoughts. Catch and filter negative thoughts.
5 techniques to help you with this task.
· Start writing a “Gratitude Diary.” At the end of the day, put down the things that happened to you during a day. You will definitely sleep better at night.
· Make up and repeat positive mantras – assertions that will help to move to your goal faster.
· Surround yourself with positive people. Good emotions, as well as bad ones, are contagious.
· Don’t let negative thoughts in. Don’t let them dominate your mind.
· Be active. Physical exercises stimulate the release of endorphins, and negative thoughts appear when we have nothing to do.
Get up earlier
Successful people get up early. That’s why get up half an hour earlier tomorrow. The day after tomorrow get up an hour earlier. The point is that morning is the most productive period. You can cook a useful breakfast, meditate, do some exercise, read a book, devote some time to your hobby, work a little, and effectively plan your day. Waking up early means that you will spare yourself hurrying, anxiety, and mess. Time management is key to self-improvement.
Tidy up
How much time do you need to make up your bed or wash the dishes in the morning? Three or five minutes? Petty household affairs don’t take too much time. But if you procrastinate, they accumulate and are likely to spoil your mood. One cup and plate after breakfast will quickly become a pile of dishes; and a mess in your house will cause a mess in your thoughts.
Researches prove that people who wash the dishes right after breakfast and make up their bed in the morning are happier and more successful. Order at home gives a feeling of control and comfort.
Set real goals
Don’t promise to run a marathon in a month. You’d better register for a 5km distance. Don’t plan to reach a formidable goal in a short period of time. Be realistic: set yourself a small goal and reach it. The feeling of satisfaction you get from a small victory will inspire your further achievements. Act gradually, and you will achieve even more than you’ve expected.
Let yourself be spontaneous
Undoubtedly, it’s very convenient and reasonable to live according to a schedule, have supper in the same café, buy products in the same shop on Saturdays. However, if you stick to this rule, your life will become a boring routine very soon. Let yourself spontaneous deeds. Leave your comfort zone. Try Oriental cuisine, go to another shopping mall, learn to snowboard. Any new experience brings new emotions. They make us happier, change our views on life, let us find new abilities and hobbies; and most importantly, we learn to calmer react to changes.
Stop complaining
Even in the darkest times, there are positive moments in our life. Be grateful instead of constantly complaining. You shouldn’t use people around you as a shoulder to cry on. Should you constantly think about problems, lost opportunities, and world injustice, you focus on negativity. Correspondingly, day by day, you are getting accustomed to the role of a victim so that when something good happens, you simply won’t be able to correspondingly assess it.
Try not to compare yourself with others
You can’t fall asleep because a colleague has been promoted and your friend’s bought a huge house. Well, there would always be people whose career, personal or financial life are better than yours. So, are you ready to sacrifice your sleep? If a close person has achieved something, be happy for them and think about what has helped them to do that. For sure, it’s not a matter of mere luck or coincidence.
Also, think about the notion of success. What does it mean personally to you? Do you want to grow professionally in a company, or would you be happier working as a freelancer? Are you dreaming of a luxurious car and a house, or are these socially imposed values? People differ, as well as their understanding of happiness. Decide what is important for you, and move to this goal.
Don’t procrastinate
What about a number of petty routine affairs? Call an insurance company, prolong a rental period, take a package from a post office…You need a couple of minutes to complete these things, but as a result, they get accumulated, and you will need to dedicate a whole day off to fix them. That’s why it’s so important to plan every day and every week, evenly dividing routine tasks. Yet, don’t forget to plan some free days when you can forget about work and obligations.
So, should I change my life completely?
To some extent, yes. However, John Rampton’s pieces of advice are highly useful since they don’t require instant changes. You should do everything slowly and step by step. It seems that the hardest task is to learn to get up early. If you manage to do this, you will have enough time for careful planning of your day. Do everything in time, don’t postpone, and let yourself be spontaneous! These steps are both simple and necessary to make if you want to change your life for better! You are the only master of your fate; thus, stop complaining about the things you don’t like, focus on positive moments, and move ahead!
