If you were to take out a piece of paper right now and list your daily actions and locations visited, what patterns would you find? What is your routine like?
When you wake up what do you see?
Where/how do you prepare breakfast?
How do you commute to work?
Where do you have lunch?
Where do you relax and what do you do?
How do you commute back from work?
What do you do & where do you go for YOU time?
What are you usually doing during the evening?
With each of these instances, ask the question “how do you feel?”. If you feel trapped, stifled, or held back, it would good to experiment with changing some things up.
We all have reactions to the stimuli brought from what we see, hear, feel throughout the day. Changing the physical what, who and how you interact with places/people/things on a regular basis help shift your mindset and habits in the direction you're trying to go. When you’re looking to become more healthy/well-mannered/adventurous/open to life in general, making a change within these things will help shape your path of self-improvement:
1) Your physical location
2) The people you’re usually involved with
3) The things that you eat
4) Your mental & physical habits
5) The way you take action
Your Physical Location
“Out of sight out of mind”. If you don’t enjoy the things you see on a usual basis change it up. If you don’t like your room or where you live, then move. Easier said than done, right? If you’d like to move, move when it’s feasible, but it doesn’t mean you can’t change things right now. It’s always good to start small. Keep your room clean, your bed made, the dishes done. It’s good to be proud of your own space. Having a clean space will clear up part of your mind, knowing that you have control over it. Cleanliness is next to godliness. This phrase was first recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778, but the idea is ancient, found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts.
New sights give you new ideas and feelings. Try taking a different route to work, change up your lunch every few days, interact with different friends or colleagues. Try different ways to relax during different days. Much like how doing different exercises help different parts of your body, having different fields of view will give you different perspective. The more you experiment with this, you may find another way of doing things that place you into a better mental state.
The people you’re usually involved with
We are the culmination of the top 5 people we spend the most time with. This is usually a combination of a few people from work, a few friends, and a few family members. We are affected by their attitudes, ambition, goals, ups and downs. It’s always good to back up those who are close to, but at times personal growth is hindered by sticking to only what you know. New people lead to new experiences, new vision, new perspective, new ideas. Never selfishly throw others away like they are a simple commodity. Respect your current company and learn from them, but always seek out different knowledge from new acquaintances that have more knowledge than you currently do. Competition is an inherent trait we all have, and if you’re looking for self-improvement having higher skilled rivals who can help you along the way always push you towards new heights.
The things you eat
You are what you eat. Eat bad, have a slow body. Eat well, have a healthier and more responsive body. There is a lot that can be said about everyone’s individual health requirements to get a specific body weight and look. It comes down to nutrition, exercise, habits and frame of mind. Like always, start with something small. Eat something healthy like fruit right before eating something you know is unhealthy. Start to become more aware of the different types of food you consume, understanding some of it may need to be substituted for a healthier version.
The world and the people in it don’t tell us who we are. We are the products of our mindset and our consistent habits. Our routines and habits can be changed to what we want them to be, but you always need somewhere to start. If you don’t like something with your life, do something about it. The best place to start is where you are, right now. As long as you also act on it right now, you’re on track to hit your goal.
