Why Not . . . Improve Your Life? Part Deux
Wednesday September 15, 2010

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Each day you wake up you have an new opportunity to grow, to change, to improve, to build off what you did yesterday or to go in a new direction. The grand improvements so many people want in their lives can only truly be achieved with little, consistent steps all headed in the appropriate direction.  Last week, this series Why Not . . . Improve Your Life? began with five tips on how to change your behavior when it comes to taking responsibility with regards to your work, your money and your attitude, but today we’re going to focus on the simple things that are a part of your every day life that can either help or hinder you in your quest for improvement. Let’s get started.

Seek & Surround

As human beings, we are social creatures, so it is expected that one would want to be around people, but in order to improve the quality of your life in any dimension, you must surround yourself with people who lift you up instead of those who try to hold you back.  It is quite easy to recognize which people you should gravitate towards.  These are the folks that upon leaving their company, you feel optimistic, you feel happier and the glass appears half full.  The opposite is also true.  The difficult part is having the tact and strength to put boundaries up.

Have A Plan

Having long term goals is something everyone should set for themselves whether it be a five year plan, a 10 year plan or any goal that involves long term foresight, but in this instance, I’m referring to having a plan for how you want your day to go – one solitary day. When you get out of the bed in the morning, what are you taking on? What are you doing today that will bring you closer to your goals by the time you arrive home in the evening?  If not one of your goals is being chipped away at, you might want to reconsider just how you spend your time.  Remember, it’s all a matter of baby steps heading in the right direction.

Eat Your Veggies

If you want to be the best self you can be, look at your diet.  Nothing creates or detracts from your ability to get through the day more than how you fuel your body.  So why not add more vegetables and fruits?  Fruits, I find, are a bit easier to add because they have natural sweetness, but veggies (at least for me) are something I have to plan.  Try this, as suggested in the previous tip, plan in the morning to stash some carrots in your purse or stop by the grocery store for some broccoli and make a simple Broccoli w/Garlic & Soy Sauce salad. Most vegetables simply require a bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and either you roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or sauté them on the stove.  And voila!

A Restful Slumber

Another simple ingredient that will help your mind, your skin, your spirit and the outlook on the next day is a good night’s rest.  Maybe the idea of going to bed before ten is unbearable, but if you’re getting up at five or six, ten is perfectly fine. A good seven to eight hours on a regular basis will do wonders for your mood and your productivity, and regarding vanity, you’ll be pampering your skin without doing a thing which will help to make you look all the more youthful.

Have Patience

With any goal you choose to pursue, whether it’s weight loss, a promotion in your career, or growth in your 401K, you must have patience in order to see results. Recently, you may already know I took up yoga and during the first few months, I didn’t notice much of a change, but all of a sudden, without warning it seemed, I could reach farther, I noticed my muscles lengthening and appearing less bulky.  But the funny thing was, I didn’t see the progress until the weekly yoga class became a routine, set in my mind, and I stopped looking for the change.  Sometimes, we just have to do the work, having faith that we will reach our destination, but if we continually are stopping to check and see how far we’ve come, we’ll take that much longer to get there. For a bit more inspiration on acquiring patience and being willing to adopt this virtue, clear here.

Making each step count is all we can do in each moment we are given, and I know we are all capable of that. No matter what your dream, simply add some sweat and the willingness to work for it and your wish will soon become a reality. Click here to view the third and final part in the series.

10 thoughts on “Why Not . . . Improve Your Life? Part Deux

  1. As always, great post! I especially agree with the last one. Patience is something that is very difficult to have, but if we make more of an effort to obtain it, we definitely can have a more fulfilling life.

    Happy Wednesday! <3

  2. LOVE THIS! I am always changing/evolving…nothing is worse then staying static…
    PS. I gave up meat for a while (I needed a break) so I am ALL ABOUT the veggies 😀

  3. This is a great post and is full of positive and wonderful advice. Thank you for the dose of morning inspiration. Now I can start my day off on the right foot!

  4. I’ve always had trouble obtaining and then RETAINING a long term goal, as life often steps in the way and changes EVERYTHING! haha

    However, each day I rise and plan and I think I do exactly what you posted above (sleep aside far too often, though)…

    so, thank you! thank you for placing into perspective that even stepping into daily goals will inevitably determine and create the end result of which one seeks.

    Have a fabulous week, dear!

  5. This was very inspiring to me and came at the perfect time. I feel at a standstill in my career and that I’m not fulfilling the dreams that I’ve always had…owning my own business. I need to start re-evaluating things and putting a little sweat in to what I truly want out of life!

  6. Another smashing post! I do very much agree with your thoughts on surrounding yourself with great company. I constant look out for the energy vampires and nurturing people in my daily life. I know what to expect from these people and I have my strategy down pat as to how to deal with them. I try to make a point of being a positive light to all those around me because the time that we live in is a bit bleak here and there.

    I’ve just got to work on the patience part.

    The photo of the the victorias’s secret models is striking and seductive. I’ve never seen that photo before. Nice find.

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