I feel like a daily question a lot of people ask themselves is, how can I be better? Whether they mean at their job, at school, with their family, or just with life in general. I certainly don't have the answer for you, but I do think these 10 small ways can help guide you to just simply being a better you. Because your life starts with YOU. Be confident in your own skin and love yourself for who you are. That is the most important thing to remember every day when you wake up in the morning, when you go to sleep at night, and any other moment of the day you can squeeze in that thought.
1. Start acting the way you want to feel.
If you want to feel happy, act happy. If you want to feel productive, be productive. The mind is a great thing. If you get in a certain mindset, you can accomplish a lot more than you think you can.
2. Do a good deed for 3 different people every day.
This may sound like a lot, but it's really not. You interact with hundreds of people every day. Your roommate, your family, strangers while driving, co-workers, friends, etc. When I say a nice deed, I don't mean loan 3 people $500 each or something like that. I mean even giving someone a compliment can be a nice "deed." Hold the door open for someone, tell a stranger you love the way they styled their hair, let a car go in front of you in heavy rush hour traffic. The smallest of things can make the world of difference in someone's life and just think how you telling that random girl in front of you in line at the store how much you love her shoes can completely turn her day around. Try it. You'll go to bed happier every night, I promise.
3. Pick one argument per day to let go.
I know this sounds really hard, but it relieves a lot of stress actually. That argument you decide to let go in the morning with your roommate or parents will make sure you're on time to work or class. Or that argument you let go with your significant other will actually allow you to have a nice date night out with them. Obviously don't bottle things up and let them explode but there are some things that are just worth letting go. No harm no foul, I say. Take a deep breath, and just walk away. The anger will subside soon.
4. Pick one new thing to try every month.
Try a new restaurant or try playing badminton. Anything you can think of, small or big. By the end of the year, you can look back and say wow, I tried a lot of new things this past year! You'll turn a good year in to a great year by being adventurous!
5. Keep in touch with as many people as possible.
This sounds like a lot of work, too, but it isn't. Shoot a short "Happy Monday!" text to your old roommate, write a small "Miss you, hope you're doing well" on one of your high school buddies' Facebook walls, respond to a new co-workers tweet about their fun night last night. It's important to keep in touch with old friends while also keeping up with your new ones. Surrounding yourself with people who you connect with is such a great thing because on that day that you're feeling down, they might send you a "Happy Monday" text just because they were thinking about you, too.
6. Wear bold lipstick.
Wearing bold lipstick tends to give women some extra confidence. When you feel confident you tend to succeed more. When you succeed more you tend to feel happier. See where I'm going with this? Bold lipstick will tend to make you happy :)
7. Reunite with old friends.
Moving away, making new friends, starting new chapters of our lives can really make us lose touch with some really great people. I encourage you to pick 1 old friend that you haven't spoken to in a few years and send them a sweet message to see how they are doing. Not only will you make their day, but when they respond back all happy that you contacted them, it'll make your day, too!
8. Make every hug last 10 seconds.
It is scientifically proven that the closer proximity you are to someone for a longer length of time the more endorphins your body produces. So next time you go in for the hug with your dad, make it last at least 10 seconds. You'll make him happy that he gets to hold his little baby for a few seconds longer than normal and you'll feel happier just being closer to the number 1 man in all our lives.
9. Spend 5 minutes every day tidying up your place.
Take a few minutes out of your super hectic day to just put a few things away. You don't have to deep clean your entire house, apartment, or room every day to feel good, but it does help to be able to find things when you need them. I tend to always have a smile on my face when I'm getting ready in the morning, and I walk out of the bedroom and see my couch all neat and not a bunch of junk mail sprawled out all over the kitchen table. It's the small things that really matter! ...as cheesy as that may sound.
10. Talk to more strangers.
Stranger danger! ...I know what my mom taught me when I was little, but we're adults now right? It doesn't hurt to strike up a conversation with the stranger behind you while waiting in the grocery check-out line or have a small chat with the person who is sitting next to you on the bus. You might make a new friend, you might not, but who cares! You're more likely to talk about different things with different people, which can give you a small sense of fulfillment because you didn't talk about the same damn thing that you always talk about. Change is nice once in awhile.
1. Start acting the way you want to feel.
If you want to feel happy, act happy. If you want to feel productive, be productive. The mind is a great thing. If you get in a certain mindset, you can accomplish a lot more than you think you can.
2. Do a good deed for 3 different people every day.
This may sound like a lot, but it's really not. You interact with hundreds of people every day. Your roommate, your family, strangers while driving, co-workers, friends, etc. When I say a nice deed, I don't mean loan 3 people $500 each or something like that. I mean even giving someone a compliment can be a nice "deed." Hold the door open for someone, tell a stranger you love the way they styled their hair, let a car go in front of you in heavy rush hour traffic. The smallest of things can make the world of difference in someone's life and just think how you telling that random girl in front of you in line at the store how much you love her shoes can completely turn her day around. Try it. You'll go to bed happier every night, I promise.
3. Pick one argument per day to let go.
I know this sounds really hard, but it relieves a lot of stress actually. That argument you decide to let go in the morning with your roommate or parents will make sure you're on time to work or class. Or that argument you let go with your significant other will actually allow you to have a nice date night out with them. Obviously don't bottle things up and let them explode but there are some things that are just worth letting go. No harm no foul, I say. Take a deep breath, and just walk away. The anger will subside soon.
4. Pick one new thing to try every month.
Try a new restaurant or try playing badminton. Anything you can think of, small or big. By the end of the year, you can look back and say wow, I tried a lot of new things this past year! You'll turn a good year in to a great year by being adventurous!
5. Keep in touch with as many people as possible.
This sounds like a lot of work, too, but it isn't. Shoot a short "Happy Monday!" text to your old roommate, write a small "Miss you, hope you're doing well" on one of your high school buddies' Facebook walls, respond to a new co-workers tweet about their fun night last night. It's important to keep in touch with old friends while also keeping up with your new ones. Surrounding yourself with people who you connect with is such a great thing because on that day that you're feeling down, they might send you a "Happy Monday" text just because they were thinking about you, too.
6. Wear bold lipstick.
Wearing bold lipstick tends to give women some extra confidence. When you feel confident you tend to succeed more. When you succeed more you tend to feel happier. See where I'm going with this? Bold lipstick will tend to make you happy :)
7. Reunite with old friends.
Moving away, making new friends, starting new chapters of our lives can really make us lose touch with some really great people. I encourage you to pick 1 old friend that you haven't spoken to in a few years and send them a sweet message to see how they are doing. Not only will you make their day, but when they respond back all happy that you contacted them, it'll make your day, too!
8. Make every hug last 10 seconds.
It is scientifically proven that the closer proximity you are to someone for a longer length of time the more endorphins your body produces. So next time you go in for the hug with your dad, make it last at least 10 seconds. You'll make him happy that he gets to hold his little baby for a few seconds longer than normal and you'll feel happier just being closer to the number 1 man in all our lives.
9. Spend 5 minutes every day tidying up your place.
Take a few minutes out of your super hectic day to just put a few things away. You don't have to deep clean your entire house, apartment, or room every day to feel good, but it does help to be able to find things when you need them. I tend to always have a smile on my face when I'm getting ready in the morning, and I walk out of the bedroom and see my couch all neat and not a bunch of junk mail sprawled out all over the kitchen table. It's the small things that really matter! ...as cheesy as that may sound.
10. Talk to more strangers.
Stranger danger! ...I know what my mom taught me when I was little, but we're adults now right? It doesn't hurt to strike up a conversation with the stranger behind you while waiting in the grocery check-out line or have a small chat with the person who is sitting next to you on the bus. You might make a new friend, you might not, but who cares! You're more likely to talk about different things with different people, which can give you a small sense of fulfillment because you didn't talk about the same damn thing that you always talk about. Change is nice once in awhile.