#SelfImprovementMonth
Healthy Body, Healthy Life ✌🏼
Create some sort of meal plan. Planning out your meals ahead of time will help you spend less money and make healthier food choices.
Stop eating fried food. Fried food makes you feel absolutely terrible for at least 24 hours … definitely not worth it.
Don’t go more than 3 days without exercise. Exercising gives you life, helps relieve all that nasty stress, and helps you get fit. We know sometimes it’s “too hard to squeeze it in every day,” but don’t go more than 3 days without it.
Eat less dairy. If you have a sensitive tummy, try cutting out dairy. I know it’s hard. But for some people this can eliminate digestive problems. Try some vegan cheese! We’re big fans of Daiya.
Cut out one, more or all of the following: pop, coffee, alcohol, or sugar. Not sure if we can cut coffee out, but we’re starting with eliminating alcohol for a while!
Get enough good sleep. Is 5.5 hours enough for you or is it 8 hours? Whatever it is for you, make sure you get it. The quality matters just as much as the time spent sleeping. Good sleep allows your body to regenerate and allows for better concentration. Not to mention, better skin!
Focus on being physically strong more than on being thin. This will create positive goals that are attainable and healthy for you. All shapes and sizes are beautiful 💪🏼
Make sure you get enough Vitamin C, D and all the others you may be missing. Essential vitamins like these can impact your health in a positive way if you get enough (and can have negative effects if they’re low). Try an at home test like LetsGetChecked or go see an Integrated Medicine Specialist.
Drink more than enough water every day. A good trick to figure how much to drink is to divide your body weight by 2 and that’s how many ounces you should consume. It’s tough, we know.
Stay on top of your annual, routine appointments and stop putting them off! Put a recurring reminder on your calendar for things like dental checkups, mole checks and physicals so you don’t miss any. Take your preventative care seriously. We mean it.
Take a new group fitness class or hire a personal trainer. If you struggle to stay active, classes or a trainer are great ways to get going. Just make sure you can fit it in that monthly budget of yours.
Subscribe to a health blog, or three. Learn about healthy living as a lifestyle practice little by little every day. Here’s a list of the best of 2019.
Smile. It releases endorphins 😁
Work on the relationships you want to last. 👯♀️
Be your own best friend. Learning to love yourself will create a feeling of being centered. Something that everyone deserves to experience. You’ll be happier in all areas of your life.
Set #relationshipgoals. How do you want your friendships to be maintained? Start small and come up with goals together.
Put as much effort into your relationships as you do into your everyday work. This is absolutely necessary. People matter the most in this world. Prioritize your people.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. If you make this an everyday practice, trust us … you’ll be happier. You won’t question others as much and you’ll find that you’ll become less judgmental.
Have “family” meetings. Whether it’s with your roommate or your partner. Discuss how things are going, including your personal goals, financial goals and anything else. It’s good to have a scheduled time to check-in with each other.
Call one friend or family member once a day. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the need to stay in touch, simply call one person you care about every day. Do it when you’re walking the dogs, while you’re on your way to work, or even on your lunch break. This way, over time, you’ll stay in touch with everyone.
Stop being a victim. Whatever your circumstances are, take ownership of every single one of them. Then, take action.
Learn to argue productively. Arguing is part of any healthy relationship. Learn how to do it constructively and respectfully. Don’t just argue for arguing’s sake.
Say sorry the right way. Don’t use “ifs” in your apologies (ex: “I’m sorry if I upset you). Address your apology head-on and take responsibility for your actions. Try “I understand how you feel and I’m sorry that I upset you.” Validation is also key.
Don’t put your partner down in public. This is one of the worst things you can do. It’s disrespectful and harms the relationship. How do you want to live and be perceived by others?
Stop negative thoughts about other people when you begin to think them. This practice can become an easy habit, and when it does, you’ll get out of a negative mindset. You’ll be happier overall and less judgmental in the long run.
Commit to playing with your kids and/or pets regularly. It’s not enough to provide for them financially. They need your time (and quality time at that). 🐶🐱
Prioritize your kids and/or over your work. This is hard for the workaholic of the family, but it’s worth it. Your regrets at the end of your life will be about the individuals in your life – not work. Prioritize your people and your pets.
A compliment a day … Makes people very happy! You never know when someone is feeling down or needs a little pick-me-up. Who knows, it could even open up a new relationship.
Money doesn’t make you happier, but it makes your life a little easier. 💰
Check your bank accounts daily. This habit will keep you informed on the reality of your financial situation. It will keep you aware of what you’re spending each day. It’s a simple action that can pay off in the long run.
Spend less than you make. This rule is super simple, but so hard to follow. If you live by this rule, you have a shot at building a stable (and even dreamy) financial future. Learn how to set a budget and then how to follow it.
Save a 3-6 month emergency fund. Because emergencies happen to everyone and having cash will lessen the stress. Layoffs happen. Emergencies happen. Life happens.
Get out of debt. Debt holds you back from doing a lot. It requires you to be a “slave to the lender” as they say. Get out and stay out.
Pay off your credit cards in full every month. If you don’t, you’ll be paying interest that compounds over time. Spend only what you can pay off.
Make more money. If you have an income problem (meaning you don’t make enough money to reach your financial goals), then find ways to make more money.
Pay yourself first. You’re always going to find ways to spend your money, even with pay increases. To make sure you’re saving, auto-deposit money into a savings account immediately when you’re paid. Increase the amount when you get a pay raise. Weekly transfers are a good choice.
Put more financial margin in your budget. Find ways to cut spending and make more money so you have more money left at the end of the month as a buffer. All those subscription boxes you have? Get rid of ones that aren’t fulfilling your life. Social media sites and streaming services? Cancel the ones you use the least.
Spend money on experiences. Research shows spending on experiences results in living a happier, healthier life. You will remember the experiences you had, not the stuff you bought.
Save for retirement. If you want to retire one day, you need to plan for it. The earlier you start, the more you benefit.
Commit to a career you love, but doesn’t consume you. 👩🏽🔬
Do work that fulfills you. This will make every day fly by. Not that you want it to fly by … but you won’t be bored. You’ll be happier and more content with your life. Don’t give up until you find your (career) happy place. And don’t forget, culture has a big part to play.
Quit your job if you hate it. Life is too short to spend it doing something you dislike.
Find ways to work from home. There are so many ways you can make money from home. If you can with your full time job, that’s great. Dog sitting? Driving services? Sell personal art on Etsy? You decide.
Get a mentor. A mentor is a coach of sorts. Having someone you trust who is helping you figure out what you want to be doing with your life can pay off big time.
Dress for the job you want. It pays to be well dressed for the job you want. Co-workers will see you in that role. This advice is super worth it if you actually do it. It’s too easy to get comfortable and “let yourself go.”
Remember that like-ability totally matters at work. There are studies that show like-ability is one of the most significant factors in getting hired and even promoted. Again, make sure the culture is right for you.
Take constructive feedback in a positive way. This can help you grow and become even better at your job. Constructive feedback is never personal, so don’t take it personally.
Give praise to people you work with. Doing this publicly will make people feel appreciated, and they’ll like you more for it, too. Again, validation is key.
Develop leadership skills. Learning how to be a good leader will prepare you for your career and for life. Meet with your manager on how to create goals to become a better leader. There is no goal too big or too small.
Read books, take classes, watch tutorials! Keep working on that career development. Enhance your skills by reading, watching or experiencing things related to career development. This will help you excel faster because you will grow faster. Use sources like Lynda, Skillshare, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning … there’s enough resources out there for everyone.
Spiritual growth is important too. 🙏🏾
Find a way to express gratitude daily. Tell someone why you appreciate them. Write down what you’re thankful for each day before bed. Get it out of your system, it will make you feel more fulfilled.
Stop trying to be a perfectionist. It gets in the way of your happiness, your success, your everyday life (and it annoys other people)!
Get comfortable saying “no”. Say “no” to what you don’t want to do, so you can have room for what you do want to do. You’ll be happier in the long run.
Talk with a therapist. If you have past issues to work on, take care of them now. If you have current issues to work on, take care of those now too.
Forgive regularly. When you forgive, you set yourself free from resentment and pain. It’s not about the other person. It’s about you. Don’t forget to forgive yourself too.
See the world with a glass half full mentality. You can learn to train yourself how to be happier and have a positive attitude. Others will enjoy your company more too.
Listen to podcasts during your commute. One great way to learn while you’re wasting time is during your commute.
Evaluate your experiences. You don’t learn from your experiences. You learn from evaluating your experiences. So, evaluate yours to change and learn from them.
Start a blog about something you love. Blogging is a great way to focus on personal development. Too scary? Start with writing down thoughts. Write short blogs. Eventually you’ll get better at it, and you’ll enjoy it too.
Stay motivated. Enough said. Try new things
Implement supportive habits. It’s not enough to rely on motivation. You need to implement habits into your life. Learn how to implement better habits into your life.
Limit your TV to less than 30 minutes / day on average. TV is such a time suck and it’s completely passive.
Start meditating. Meditation can be one of the most useful ways to relieve stress and find inner-contentment. It also helps with anxiety. Feeling stressed? Try a meditation app to get started. We like the one called Pause.
Get out of your comfort zone. Personal development means growing as a person. And the only way you’ll grow is from new experiences, which often require you to get out of your comfort zone. The more you get use to this, the easier it becomes.
Have faith in something bigger than you. Believing in God or another higher power can make your life more meaningful. Decide what you believe in and commit to that.
Know what you want from your life. If you don’t know what you want, you’ll wander somewhere you may not like. To avoid this, set visions in each life category (more on visions here) so you know where you’re headed.
Set goals. Goals will help you create a roadmap of how to get where you want to go.
Create a mission statement for your life (or one area of your life). Using a mission statement can help you focus on your number one priority. This helps make decision-making easier.
Have a go-to activity to get you out of a funk. Whatever works for you – do that. Whether it’s going for a run, taking a nap, painting, etc. Find an activity you do that helps you clear your mind. 🎨
At the end of the year reflect on the prior year by going through your calendar. Something I learned from 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth by John Maxwell and have been doing for years. It helps you prioritize your time and money by looking at what you did the year before.
Journal regularly. Journaling is a way to express your thoughts in writing. It will bring you clarity in various ways. A side effect of journaling is documenting life events, too (which is almost never a bad thing).
Read at least one book a month. Reading will help you grow and develop. This month, our obsessions are Jodi Picoult and Lisa Scottoline.
Wake up early. You can seriously benefit from starting an everyday morning routine. Push your alarm clock time back one minute every day until you’re waking up early enough to do your planned morning routine. ⏰
Create a morning routine that you do before work. If you prioritize going what’s important to you (personally) before you start work, the day won’t escape you and you’ll actually do these things (and hopefully get them done too).
Keep notes in a digital folder. Notes of everything you want to remember for the future. Podcasts, reminders, grocery lists, movies to see. It’ll help remind you to do these things later on.
Unplug from technology. People are looking down at their phones so much that they often miss what’s happening in the world around them. Keep your head up. We live in a beautiful place.
Identify and quit a bad habit. We all have that one thing that we want to do less of.
Make time for the fun stuffs. 🥳
Make time for fun if you’re an overachiever. Fun is absolutely necessary to your health and happiness. For the type-A, the overachiever, put fun in your schedule. You’ll enjoy life more. And people will enjoy you more.
Cut back on fun if you’re an underachiever. The opposite is true if you tend to spend all your free time having fun. If you are disorganized, haven’t cleaned in a while, or have no idea what your goals are – cut back on the fun (don’t get rid of it completely though) and spend time thinking and working on personal development.
Pursue a hobby that you love – just for fun. This will give you ownership of something you do just for you. Try some new ones while you’re at it 😜
Find creative ways to have fun without spending loads of money. Getting creative with your fun on the cheap will push you outside your comfort zone and into new experiences you wouldn’t otherwise have.
Laugh, be silly, and find your inner child. Play (anything for the joy of doing) has the power to significantly improve everything from your brain power to mental and physical health to relationships to your ability to be creative. Remember those days when we’d call our friends to see if they wanted to come over and play? Yeah, just like that.
Get outside and play. The outdoors allows you to explore and take adventures in a way you can’t get otherwise.
Laugh as much as possible. Laughter is good for the soul. Laughter gives you a jolt of happiness instantly. If you can increase how much you laugh, you can increase your overall happiness.
Feel good in the space around you. 🏡
Create a vision board for motivation and inspiration. Having your visions and goals in front of you is a great way to stay on track with where you’re headed in life. It helps to keep you motivated day-to-day.
Stay organized. Keep as much as you can organized; including your home (every room and closet), your office, and anywhere else you spend time. An organized space will help you clear your mind.
Plan your weeks and weekends ahead of time. Use a calendar (digital or manual) and keep it in the “month view”. This will give you an overarching view of the month so you can plan your week and upcoming weeks ahead of time. We like printed calendars for our personal schedule and online calendars for our work schedule. There is no wrong way to do it.
Keep a to-do list. Alongside your calendar, keep a list of actions you want to complete. Check or cross off each item as you complete it and add to it as you have more things to get done. Knowing what your priorities are will help you accomplish your goals without getting distracted.
Purge anything you haven’t used or worn in over a year. Go through every item in your closet that you haven’t worn in over a year and yourself if you love that item. If you don’t love it, get rid of it. 👚Try donating to ThredUp - that’s our favorite.
Do your most important task first every day. Make a list of things you want to get done for the day. Start with the most important tasks. This will help you feel accomplished right away and help to set you up for a day of success.
Commit to one cleaning or organizational task per day. Small tasks compounded over time lead to great results. This will keep your house nice, clean and tidy!
Read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. This book can change the way you organize forever.
It feels good to give back. 💸
Practice generosity. Instilling generosity as a way of life can impact the world in a huge way. And as a side effect, you’ll be happier, too.
Appreciate where you are in life. When you are thankful for your circumstances, you are stronger because you’re not a victim.
Practice mindfulness. Learn to be present and mindful of the moment. While planning ahead is good, don’t let that detract from being present and centered.
Create a gratitude jar that you put one note into every week. Expressing thankfulness on a weekly basis will help you be aware of how lucky you are in addition to give you something at the end of the year to look back on. I’m doing this now and it’s really fun!
Practice gratitude. The more you express how grateful you are, the happier you’ll be. You’ll also attract more positive things into your life.
Be a mentor. This is a rewarding way to give back to the younger generations whether it’s through career mentoring, school mentoring or life mentoring. Take your pick!
Volunteer and give your time. Giving your time (your most precious resource) is the most profound way to give back.
Commit to donating a specific percent of your income every year. This is the best way I know how to practice consistent financial generosity.
Say thank you.