10 Simple Habits That Can Positively Change Your Life
If you are looking to change your life in a positive way, consider these 10 simple habits to make your day (and life!) better.
They say, “Nothing changes if nothing changes,” so take that to heart and see what small improvements you can make daily that add up over time.
While big life changes don’t happen overnight, it’s the small changes and progress you make every day that will shift your life in the present moment and lead to a brighter future.
Focus on a few (or all!) of these positive, healthy habits for the next 30 days and see how you feel!
1. Always be learning
Don’t let graduating from high school or college be the last day you ever pick up a book or try something new!
Find a topic or subject that fascinates you, contributes to your personal growth, or can help you move forward in your business/career in some way - and learn as much as you can about it.
Most business, career, or self-development books are written by those who have years (or a lifetime) of experience on a certain topic. You can soak up years of knowledge based on the author’s best advice in just a matter of days.
If reading isn’t your thing, consider finding blogs, documentaries, classes, or events related to the subject you want to learn more about.
Even spending only 5-10 minutes a day immersing yourself in a new topic can bring forth takeaways, epiphanies, or strategies to help you positively change your life.
2. Limit content consumption
…especially when it’s related to learning. :)
Wait, what? You might be thinking, “Didn’t you just say, ‘Always be learning?’”
There have been a few periods in my life where I realized I was hopping from book to book about business, marketing, or self-development without stopping for a moment to actually integrate what I learned.
Striking a balance between learning and taking action is key.
If all you do is learn about a topic for days on end and don’t take action, what’s the point?
Don’t get caught up in consuming content to feel productive. Instead, ensure you have a proper balance between learning and doing.
3. Make exercise a regular habit
Movement of any kind is so important! As humans we were made to run, dance, walk, and jump. If you have a doubt on how to choose equipment (like running shoes for example) for those types of activities, check here.
With evolution and technology changing our needs - and with most modern-day jobs requiring us to sit for hours at a time - most of us don’t get the amount movement our body craves and needs to stay healthy.
Yes, our body craves movement!
Plus, exercise gives you endorphins. As we know from Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, endorphins make us happy (and “happy people don’t shoot their husbands”).
Make it a habit to exercise three or more days per week. Find some sort of exercise you truly enjoy to make it fun and enjoyable!
If you don’t know what type of fitness routine would be fun for you, take advantage of the free introductory class most fitness studios offer, or try something like Class Pass where you get access to a bunch of studios.
Not a group fitness person? YouTube is an amazing resource for free fitness videos you can do from anywhere. I also love the free Nike Training Club app for workouts I can do at home or a gym that almost feel like I have a personal trainer.
Walking, running, or biking outside is free. Live near an ocean or lake? Go for a swim! Love music? Have a dance party in your kitchen!
Whatever it is, make sure to move!
4. Meditate
The more I meditate, the more I am present during the day to:
Notice opportunities that will help me bring through my desires
Notice limiting beliefs and patterns I need to work through to heal and/or get to the next chapter of my life
Meditation also is known to lower stress levels and strengthen focus throughout the day.
On the days I skip my morning meditation practice, I tend to notice a difference in my productivity. Personally, I’m more productive when I stick to daily meditation.
The Insight Timer app and YouTube are great (free) ways to find guided meditations! I prefer guided meditations where the “teacher” speaks and gives instructions on breathing, body scanning, or visualizations.
You may prefer a mantra-based meditation or simply setting a timer and focusing on quieting the mind.
Whatever it is you enjoy most, try sticking to it for the next 30 days and see if it puts you in a more positive mood!
5. Practice gratitude
I’ve always considered myself to be a positive, optimistic person, even though I’ve gone through phases where I’ve been in a slight funk.
When I started a daily gratitude practice, however…WOW, did things change!
Keeping a copy of The 5-minute Journal next to my bed helped me structure a super quick morning and evening gratitude ritual. I’ve even taken my 5-minute journal with me while traveling around the world!
I think the evening recap where you write down high points of your day is the most helpful. For me, it allowed me to go through what happened that day in my head, and realize there were many high points and things to be grateful for had I not taken the time to recognize if I simply went to bed.
If I ever had a weird day or was in a bad mood, that evening gratitude practice completely helped shift my mood, feel better…and realize the world was not ending because of whatever situation occurred that day. ;)
They say gratitude gives off the same feelings of love. Love and passion are two of the happiest emotions you can experience.
Get into the state of gratitude more often and just feel good. Who doesn’t want to feel good?!
6. Make your bed
Take 30-60 seconds to make your bed before getting your day started.
Not only does making your bed make your room feel less cluttered, you can also enjoy the feeling of getting into a nicely-made bed at the end of the day.
Having these signals/”cues” for your brain can signal that the day has officially “begun” and it’s time to do regular daily tasks (bed is made), and when it’s time to wind down and get rest (getting back into bed at the end of the day).
7. Declutter
On that note, decluttering a space before you spend time in it can help calm the mind and allow you to focus on the task at hand.
I mean, how many of us sit down to get work done…and procrastinate by cleaning up our desk, office, or room? * raises hand *
A decluttered space allows your mind to focus on what you need to do instead of being distracted by objects begging for your attention.
Whether it’s your workspace, kitchen, or car, make it a habit to quickly declutter before spending time in that space.
8. Check your finances
Using an app like Mint or simply logging into your banking app regularly can help you see where your priorities are.
When you know where a majority of your money is going to outside of fixed expenses, you can decide whether it is contributing to your overall happiness and personal goals.
You don’t have to cut down on spending, either - you can shift where you spend to contribute to what you want to accomplish.
For example, if you notice you spend hundreds of dollars per week going out to eat and you’re not a foodie, maybe you can cut down the number of days you go out to eat and put that money toward something that excites you more, such as travel, activities, saving up for the new iPhone, etc.
9. Find inspiration daily
One thing I started doing last year was make private/secret Pinterest “Mood Boards” for every month.
At the beginning of the month once I do my monthly bookkeeping, mileage tracking, and goal setting for my business (kinda boring), I reward myself with a solid session on Pinterest. :)
Think of a mood board like a vision board, but specific to that month. Some questions you can ponder to help you choose what to pin to this board:
How do you want to feel this month?
What do you have going on (holidays, travel, birthdays)?
What goals would you like to move forward with?
What would you like to manifest?
Put it in the board, look at it regularly, and soak up the feeling of trusting it is on its way to you.
10. Spend time with friends and loved ones
Make a point to be in touch with friends and family on a regular basis. As humans we are social creatures, and connecting with those who love us and lift us up can do wonders for our mood.
Don’t have time to meet up with friends in person or call your family every day? Consider working from a coffee shop or going out to lunch with co-workers for some extra social time. Maybe you can schedule a particular day every week to call your parents, relatives, or friends that don’t live in your city.
Looking for more high-vibe friends? Consider meetup groups or trying out a new hobby to meet like-minded people.
Personally I love Travel Massive, which has chapters in cities all over the globe - whenever I go to a TM event it’s almost like making instant friends…because we all have at least one thing in common: we love to travel!
Your 30-day Challenge:
Choose at least one of these 10 habits and try it out for 30 days and see how you feel. If you feel like it makes you life better, stick with it!