To improve the quality of life, you do not need to do a significant overhaul
.You can make some tweaks. Take a few steps. Your days can be more meaningful with some habit changes.
The significant part of improving your life is that it can start today.
Self-improvement doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It is possible to make some slight changes to how you are living your life.
The key is consistency, determination, a willingness to change, and a desire to try new things.
If you want to make a quick impact on your life, there are some simple yet powerful things you can do today to turn your life around.
The point of making changes is to live a more prosperous and happier life.
Anna Meylakh is an Executive Coach of Coaching Buro. These are Anna’s suggestions on how to feel great:
1. Start your day with a positive thought. Getting into the habit of thinking a positive thought the moment you open your eyes in the morning will immediately put you in a good mood. Embrace this new day. There is always something to be grateful for or excited about.
2. Make your bed first thing in the morning. This simple routine doesn’t require much effort or time, but it will make you feel like you have already achieved something and set you in a productive mode for the day.
3. Do a 5 min breathing meditation. You don’t need any apps or external guidance. The traditional Buddhist meditation is simply sitting with your spine straight and eyes closed and focusing on your breath in and out. Set a timer. Meditation is scientifically proven to calm our minds, improve memory and boost mood.
4. Say your affirmations. Say 6 things to yourself that you need to hear the most, always in present tense. For example, ‘I am healthy, I am strong, I am smart, I am loved, I am prosperous, etc.’ You can say these affirmations silently or out loud. Some like to do it in front of the mirror to make it feel even more reassuring.
Michelle Ensuque is the Director of Meliusse Coaching. She states
‘Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ I grew up with that phrase and it is so true. I seemed to have a great capacity to dig deep when there was a crisis but the little things that stacked on top of each other could really get to me. Here is what I have learned to do over the years:
Set reminders. My brain used to be able to retain any bit of information needed, even telephone numbers at the drop of a hat. Now, I’m lucky if I can remember my own number, never mind anyone else’s. But what if it’s remembering special events like someone’s birthday, a school event or a bill you have to pay or an auto renewal you need to cancel? The fast-paced life in which we live, juggling work, family and domestics, means it’s easy to forget these things. Instead of berating yourself for forgetting, set a reminder on your phone with alerts to help you remember them.
Prompt yourself in setting a goal. Create a screensaver on your phone or other device to help you achieve something. Seeing it every time you use your device, and bringing your goal to conscious awareness means you are much more likely to achieve it.
Start and end the day with a positive thought. As human beings we are always trying to protect ourselves and are thus looking for the negative in any situation, but it can drag us down if there is no positive balance. If we can start and end our day with a positive thought, and take time consider what we have achieved, the mind starts to look for more and more positive things, which results in us dwelling on the negative less.
Decide the priorities. Sometimes it can feel like everything needs to be done, but does it? What if we stepped back and asked ourselves, ‘OK, I don’t have time to do all of these tasks, so which ones really need to be done?’ It might actually feel like there is some space left in the day to do something else far more fulfilling with instead.
Treat yourself like you would your best friend. Imagine you have a problem and you keep churning this problem round and round inside your head, not getting anywhere. If your best friend was experiencing the same issue, what questions would you ask them to help find a solution? Now ask yourself those same questions. Known as Solomon’s Paradox (the ability to give someone else advice rather than ourselves) you will often be amazed at the response your brain gives you in its role as wise counsel.
Become curious and experiment. How many of us are really curious about our world? When we were children, we did it automatically, as a way to learn, but as adults, we seem to be less curious and more introspective. We tend to live our lives (personal and professional) to a set of expectations, often imposed by ourselves, based on our experiences and what we hear, see and feel around us. What if we decided to ask ourselves, ‘I wonder what might happen if I did this or that?’ If we stopped to be curious about other people’s lives, what might we learn that would enrich our own? It can be the simplest thing, but the reward might be far greater than you imagine.
Anna Meylakh, Executive Coach of Coaching Buro
Michelle Ensuque: Director of Meliusse Coaching
