Sometimes changing our daily routine or lifestyle can seem tough to do, however, it doesn’t have to be.
The benefits of making small positive changes in your lifestyle can be endless, leading to to an enriched and higher quality of life. It’s important to understand though that these positive changes only come when we make a decision and decide to take matters into our own hands. We are 100% responsible for our own lives, and knowing this, the joy that comes with it is the fact that we are able to create 100% of our own happiness by incorporating the healthy habits that can make just about any person on this beautiful Earth happy.
These positive tasks include what you need to integrate into your daily life over the next month so that their amazing results can come to benefit you.
First Week: Set Your Intentions
1. Wake up an hour earlier: Some of the best “me” time is in the morning after your mind has had time to rest. It is within the quiet stillness of your mind that your deepest and best motivations can come to light.
2. Journal and set your intentions: During this extra hour in the morning, begin by writing in a journal. Use this time to reflect on your thoughts, your goals and what you would like to achieve in life. Making a list of the top 5 things you want to accomplish each day has been shown to have magnificent results and to improve our efficiency in getting things done.
3. Exercise: That workout that you’ve been meaning to do for so long but couldn’t find the time for, this is your time. We all have the same 24 hours in the day, and how we choose to spend it determines the lifestyles we create and have for ourselves. Use this hour to practice Yoga, relaxing into some deep stretches that will have your body, feelings and mind feel great for your entire day.
Second Week: Cleansing Your Mind & Body
4. Get organized: To have a great flow in your life, you first need to clean your personal space. Clean and organize your living space so that it is productive and represents you bringing forth your highest self. Get rid of and donate items and clothes you no longer use. Dust, wash and mop everything so that you will be living in what becomes a refreshing space of productivity. Studies have shown that messy rooms generate anxiety, and by cleaning your living areas you’ll be creating the calm you need to succeed.
5. Improve your nutrition habits: We all know that changing our diets can be difficult to do, but the key to this plan is not eliminating the things that you love, but it’s simply finding healthier versions of the things you love. We don’t need to stop enjoying eating, we just need to find healthy meals that we truly enjoy. Try replacing sodas and coffees with tea and juice. Integrate fruits salads into at least one meal each day. Remove processed foods. Go organic. Take a multi-vitamin. Our bodies usually spend a lot of energy, vitamins and minerals processing the fried and processed foods that fast food chains offer. Making small changes in your diet upgrades your fuel from unleaded to premium, and your body will thank you for it.
6. Turn off your TV: The mindsets offered by the shows on TV are not going to give you a happy life. They are constantly programmed to sell negativity, to sell beauty images implying that you’re not already good enough just as you are, and to sell products that we don’t need. Replace the time you spend watching TV with something that equally relaxes you and that you’re passionate about: read a book in an area you’re interested in, take a walk somewhere beautiful, call a loved one and ask how they’re doing. Chances are you won’t look back on your life and wish you’d watched more TV, but you might wish you had spent more time living the life you’d always dreams of, and the way to get there is by making small changes in your daily routines.
Third Week: Work through your social life
7. Take some time to think about your social life, your friends and your family: Who do you feel empowered around? Who drains your energy? Who helps to bring out the best version of you? Make a list and spend this month giving 90% of your time with the people who bring you up in life. The people we surround ourselves with affect our daily moods and also the lifestyles we create.
8. Make a new positive habit at work: Whether it’s deciding to go the extra mile on work projects, or to add a new reward for yourself each time you complete a challenging task, make a new and positive habit for yourself that you practice while at work. You could decide to treat yourself to a yummy meal after finishing your busiest day of the week, or could plan to finish all of your tasks the day before they are usually due. This new habit should be one that empowers and encourages you in a way that you enjoy, so be creative and think of something fun.
9. Practice kindness: Studies have shown that we feel better about ourselves when we practice kindness and compassion to those around us and also to strangers. Do something this week that is completely selfless and that will make another person smile. These beautiful acts of love can often provide the missing meaning to our lives, and deep within our hearts we know that this is part of our true calling.
Fourth Week: Expand your limits
10. Try living in a different way: have an adventure and leave your comfort zone. Sometimes there are things in life that we would absolutely fall in love with, but we haven’t experienced them yet simply because we haven’t tried them. This week try a different kind of meal, go for a new kind of exercise class, buy a different style of clothing or personal hygiene product. Routines can make life go by too quickly and can also be boring, so spice life up a bit and try something new.
11. Plan a vacation: Think of somewhere you’ve always wanted to go or something you’ve always wanted to do, and write down everything you need to do to get there. Then, plan to start saving for it. Maybe there’s a different country or another culture you’ve always wanted to experience. Learning about new cultures is a great way to expand and enhance our own understanding of ourselves and how much we’ve been influenced by our own cultures. Take this step in living a life that you enjoy.
12. Take a break: Realize that all of these things can’t happen if you’re stressed or overwhelmed, so give yourself time to relax, and to practice acts of self-care. Take a nap, get a massage, take a warm bath. Do something that you know helps you to relax and will leave you feeling refreshed. Change is never easy, but it’s needed to bring into your life the things that make it enjoyable and worth living.
