Life can be chaotic and unpredictable. Amongst all the chaos, it’s important that we change our routines and lifestyles, and gear ourselves for success. It starts by developing and working on habits that are guaranteed to improve your quality of life.
Drink water daily
Healthy body, healthy mind. As our body is made up mostly of water, it’s no surprise that our bodies suffer when we’re dehydrated – this includes our brain. If you keep your body hydrated, you’ll have more energy, you’ll think faster and you’ll be helping your body flush out any toxins, ultimately leading to a healthier and happier you.
Contact someone special to you
“Live today as if it’s your last” is a saying familiar to most of us. If we truly live by this principle, then there is no logical reason to not speak to those we love, every day. Speaking to those we love boosts our spirits and generally makes us happier. Even a text message or writing on your loved ones’ walls on Facebook will suffice in making that connection with them.
Exercise
Many people underestimate the true potential of regular exercise. Skillsyouneed.com lists an abundance of reasons why exercise is good for you, but for the sake of this post, all you need to know is that if you exercise, you will be healthier, happier and stronger. It may seem like a massive task to get down to the gym instead of going home and watching TV, but, which option do you think is best in the long run?
Smile
Smile! The cliché statement here is that it takes more muscles to smile than it does to frown, which delays the wrinkling process (allegedly). If this isn’t a fantastic benefit in itself, then how about the fact that even a fake smile can help lift your mood? Smiling changes the chemistry in your brain for the better. Smiling also reduces stress and makes you more approachable. Best of all – smiles are free!
Time management
Time is precious, because time is limited. It is important to remember that there are only 24 hours in each day. If you manage what you do with your time (i.e. what you do and when you do it), you’ll develop self-discipline, you’ll be less stressed out and you’ll ultimately improve your decision making abilities.
Sleep
The benefits of getting enough sleep at night are extensive. A decent amount of sleep (an average of 7 hours per night depending on your age) has been shown to improve memory retention, creativity and athleticism (stamina, sprinting distance etc.). Sleeping correctly can also improve your ability to pay attention, it can reduce your stress levels and significantly improve your health overall.
Set goals
Goal setting is remarkably important because goals propel you forward – once you’ve determined what you want and you’ve written it down, it keeps you motivated and closer to achieving it. By defining your goals, they suddenly seem achievable. If you define your goals, you can easily identify the steps necessary to achieve them. Your goals also hold you accountable. If you don’t achieve them, then you can look back and determine why you failed, and use this as feedback to help you achieve your next goal.
Learn, learn, learn
There are few things better for you than learning. Learning something new every day is vital, as it exposes you to new things and refreshes the mind. Learning something new every day also stimulates you intellectually and encourages mental growth. It also gives you something to talk about with people – which ties hand-in-hand with the next habit.
Socialising and networking
Being able to establish good relationships is key to success. In any environment, networking is vital and important to growth. There is no better form of marketing than word of mouth, and if you’ve developed a good network, the success will follow. Additionally, people buy from people. If you’ve got two salesmen standing next to each other selling the same product, which do you think will sell more – the happy, friendly and social individual, or the grumpy looking individual who avoids eye contact? Remember, we’re all human and do rely on human contact occasionally (some more than others), and if we satisfy our social needs, we will ultimately be happier.
Say no
Learn to say no. The power of the word “no” is astounding when it comes to your personal development. Oftentimes, people say no for the sake of not hurting others, but remember, you are not responsible for their reaction. It’s better to be uncomfortable with their displeasure (as you can learn from it), than it is to be resentful of your “yes”. The more successful you become, the more you will have to learn to say no. You might as well start practicing now.
You are defined by what you do. If you spend each day bettering yourself a little more, you will become happier, healthier and more successful. Adopt new habits today and watch yourself change.