Small actions with big results over time.
This is a list of things that you can do (pretty much) right now to make your life better.
If you do them in isolation then they’ll increase the chances of you feeling ‘good’ – if you do the ones that appeal to you CONSISTENTLY then you’ll keep growing real and will level up your relationship with life as a whole.
You probably won’t want to do all of them (though you probably could) but they show that there’s always something we can do to grow real, get results, and stay in the zone.
Here we go:
1. Take whatever goals you have an turn the volume UP.
Take a minute to sit down and look at goals you’re working on in life at the minute. Whatever they are and whatever plan you’ve got to achieve them, ask yourself how you can STRETCH yourself:
How do you do MORE? – For example, making more sales in your business or doing more reps in the gym.
How do you do something SOONER? – For example, doing something that you might not be ‘ready’ for in your head but stand a good chance of achieving if you can put your fears and doubts aside.
How do you impact MORE PEOPLE? – For example, finding a way to share you creative work with a bigger audience by going on a podcast or something.
These are just random examples but the idea is you need to find a way to STRETCH yourself – this will make you feel more alive and you’ll get better results faster (probably).
2. Reach out to somebody new or to somebody you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Find a way to make or rebuild a connection. Probably, there’s somebody out there you’d like to meet or haven’t spoken to in a while – send them a message (RIGHT NOW) and organise a phone call or something. People need people and – as long as we’re choosing the right ones for us – it makes us feel good to have real connections.
3. Stop talking to whatever fake or dramatic people are holding you back.
Related to number 2 but if there are people out there that only bring drama or toxicity to your life then remember the sacred mantra: “Gimme something real or GTFO”. Make the decision to start fading them out – you’ll thank yourself and have more energy once it’s done.
4.Commit to going for a walk and/or exercising most days of the week.
If you don’t exercise then start exercising. It’s the best way to increase your energy levels and ensure that you’re able to go out and do all of the other things you want to do. At the bare minimum go for a walk around the block or something – MOVE YOUR BODY (if you don’t already).
5. Replace a ‘Static Habit’ with a ‘Growth Habit’
A ‘Static Habit’ is just killing time for the sake of it (which we sometimes need to do to unwind); a ‘Growth Habit’ is one that carries you forward.
Examples:
Static Habit: Playing video games, watching Netflix, scrolling through social media (none of these really take you anywhere you want to be – you’re just EXISTING).
Growth Habit: Reading a book that serves your purpose or some emotional ‘thing’ you’re dealing with, calling somebody important to you and having a deep conversation, exercising, journaling, etc. (these kinds of things help you live a better life – you’re LIVING).
Everything has an opportunity cost and so the time spent on the Static Habits just takes away the time you have to go deeper into life with the Growth Habits.
6. Sit down and create a vision for yourself
A lot of people make life hard for themselves because they don’t know where they’re going. Sit down and spend some time asking yourself the hard questions: What do you wanna do before you die?
A simple exercise (from this post about Routine) is to just ask yourself what you want to be, do, and have.
Don’t make it complicated but having a direction will serve you more than not having one.
7. Drink some water
There’s a good chance you’re dehydrated. Drink some water.
8. Call the important people in your life at least once a week.
We’re all gonna be dead one day which means that the people in our lives are gonna be dead too. Value them and the time you can share whilst you can. Make it a regular thing because one day you won’t be able to do it at all.
9. Stop spending money on crap you don’t need and use it to invest in yourself instead.
If you’re addicted to Amazon Prime or spending money on crap you don’t need then commit to spending some of that money on investing in yourself. Maybe it’ll be a course, a class, or coaching – whatever it is, make sure it takes you where you want to be and levels you up.
10. Find a way to do something creative
A lot of us are out of touch with our creativity – make some time to do something that’s creatively meaningful to you, even if it’s only a small thing like doodling or whatever. Try and become more present by using your creativity as a vehicle for finding reality.
11. Throw some stuff out, clean, or tidy up
Most of us have spent time accumulating things that we don’t need. Go on a rampage and find some stuff in your house to throw out or donate to charity or whatever.
Clean something in your house too whilst you’re at it (or maybe just rearrange things to make things more tidy). It’s a reflection of your headspace in many ways.
12. Stretch your body (people don’t do this enough)
Go on YouTube or wherever and find a stretch routine that works for you (e.g. if you’ve got a tight neck search for that). Most people hardly ever stretch their bodies but it’s one of the most amazing things you can do for yourself as it loosens you up, relaxes, and refreshed you.
13. Find a way to GIVE something
It’s paradoxical but GIVING makes us feel good and makes us more open to life as a whole. How could you give something to the world right now? There’s always something you can do.
14. Read three books about something you want to know more about.
If you want to learn about a new topic then find three books that you’ll read in that area. For example, maybe you wanna learn about ‘Stoicism’ – find three books that are about that subject and you’ll probably have a good base-level understanding by the time you’re done (obviously, you can’t read three books right now but you can figure out what they’re gonna be and start the first one).
15. Write something free flow style.
You’ve probably heard of ‘Morning Pages’ – if not, it’s a thing where you wake up in the morning and then just write a stream of whatever words flow out of you. You don’t have to do this in the morning, though – you can do it right now: get a pen and some paper and just let yourself write a pre-determined number of pages about…whatever.
The idea is to let your unconscious make itself conscious so you can unleash what needs to come out and see what’s going on beneath the surface of yourself. You can use that AWARENESS to make your life better.
16. Meditate
Sometimes, I think people get too worked up about meditation and treat it like a Olympic Event. Really, it just means closing your eyes, focusing on your breath, and if you catch yourself thinking instead of focusing then returning back to your breath (without judging yourself).
You can do it for as long as you like (no rules) and if you need some assistance or you’ve never done it before then try a ‘Guided Meditation’ on YouTube or an app like Insight Timer. These kind of guided meditations come in all shapes and sizes so if you’re trying to be less anxious, more wealthy, happier, whatever there will be something out there.
17. Choose a time to go to bed and stick to it tonight.
Good sleep will change your life (to state the obvious) so decide on a time to go to bed and then stick to it tonight. Don’t use your phone at least an hour before and drink some water to increase the odds of actually sleeping!
18. Use your phone less
Unfortunately, you kinda need a phone to survive the modern world but you can definitely improve your life by using it less. Make a decision right now to stay mindful of when you’re just scrolling for the sake of it or texting because you’re bored or whatever else is sucking you into the digital world instead of the REAL one.
19. Put a to-do list together every day
Make a list of the things you need to DO today and then cross them off one-by-one as you go through it. Anything you don’t do today can carry over to tomorrow’s list. I do this every morning before I get to work and it keeps me on track with everything that needs doing. It’s simple but made me way more productive.
20. Listen to podcasts whilst you’re doing boring tasks.
If you want to make boring tasks more interesting then listen to podcasts whilst you’re doing them. I used to hate washing the dishes, for example, but now I use this as an opportunity to listen to podcasts about the areas I want to GROW in (business, etc.). There are loads of opportunities to multitask like this so level your time up by making use of them.
If you want a good podcast then check out Creative Status (*cough* – it’s my podcast): anchor.fm/creativestatus (or on any podcast app).
21. Check your calorie intake with MyFitnessPal or some other app.
Most people don’t know how much they’re eating so the odds are you’re either eating too much or too little for your height and weight. Download MyFitnessPal or something similar and monitor your calories for about a week or two – this will give you some good information you can use to make better choices overall (depending on your fitness goals, etc.)
22. Eat more leafy greens with your meals.
You can make any meal healthier by chucking some leafy greens in there. Throw in some spinach or kale or whatever to some of the things you eat today.
23. Check your posture and straighten your back.
Your posture affects your energy levels by affecting your breathing. Bad posture also screws you up in later life. Are you sitting up straight as you read this? If not then straighten up! Keep checking in with yourself throughout the day.
24. Take the stairs when you have a choice between them and a lift/elevator.
You might not literally be able to do this RIGHT NOW but next time you have a choice between the stairs and the lift/elevator then take the stairs. Future ‘You’ will thank you for it if you make this a consistent habit!
25. Say ‘No’ to set healthy boundaries (when you mean it)
Ask yourself what you need to start saying ‘NO’ to in life more often – this will show you where you have room to start setting healthier boundaries!
26. Develop a routine for yourself that will let you grow and enjoy life.
Sit down and spend some time developing a weekly routine for yourself that supports your growth and helps you be the person that you want to be.
This post goes into it in more detail: olianderson.co.uk/routine (you can probably add some stuff from this list to your routine t o get going).
27. Go outside for a prolonged period (at least once a week)
Most of us spend too much time indoors but outside is where it’s at – find somewhere ‘Outside’ where you’d like to go and then make a plan to go there for a prolonged period of time (i.e. for a hike or something). I do this most Sundays and it always acts as a reality reset button and makes me feel good, gives me time to find clarity, and shows me some amazing things too.
28.Think and act for the long-term, not the short-term.
Get into the habit of asking yourself “What does ‘Future Me’ need right now?” – yeah, it’s ‘fun’ to live in the short-term sometimes and just do whatever we want to do but if you do that all the time you’ll just pay the price later on down the line. Choose a VISION for yourself and live to make it happen and become the person that’s aligned with it.
29. Buy (and then use!) a foam roller
If you’ve never used a foam roller then you’re missing out – it’s an amazing self-massage tool for removing tension from your body. Get one and hop on it to release some of that deep tension that your muscles has (that you probably don’t even know about until you get on the foam roller).
30. Do the ‘gratitude’ thing.
Sit down and write out a list of things you’re grateful for – there’s probably a lot more than you might initially think and gratitude has the added bonus of making you more open so you can FLOW with life.
Conclusion: There’s loads of stuff you can do to start improving your life RIGHT now. What did I miss (leave a comment)?
If this inspired or helped you then please share it with others! 🙂
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