It is never too late to start changing your life.
Here it is, the list of 27 things you can start doing today.
1. Start making your own happiness a priority
I always believe that happiness is contagious. Only if you respect yourself, satisfy your own needs and be happy first, then you only have the true power to bring happiness to everyone around you. People who really care about you like your family and real friends would want you to be happy always. If they know you are making them happy at the expense of your own happiness, they will not be happy about it anymore. Change your mindset. Making your own happiness a priority is not equal to selfishness. So, respect yourself, love yourself as much as you can without hurting the others.
“We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create.”
― John Lennon
2. Start being yourself
It’s time to take off your mask, and be the one who you really are. You cannot avoid the peer pressure, but you definitely have the choice to follow the mainstream or to be the real you. One must understand that everyone in this world is unique, and it is totally okay to be different from the others. Being different might get you some unwanted attention, but, on the other hand, being different means that you’re special. After all, the life is yours. Live it the way you always wanted.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. Start learning from your past mistake
We can’t choose. We all grow older each day. But, growing up is not the same. It is an option. You can definitely choose to learn from your past and live a wiser life starts from today. It your mistakes has caused you pain, then you should really learn from it. Avoid the same mistake and the subsequent pain from happening over again. It’s time to break the cycle. If you feel that wasting time is the biggest mistake of your life, then stop doing it today. It will never be too late to change.
“Experience is the name we give to your mistakes.”
– Oscar Wilde
4. Start facing your inner demons
There’s always something evil inside you. But you have to understand that this is part of the nature. The law of polarity mention that everything in this universe has its opposite. The most important thing is that you are aware of both the negative and positive power within you. Let the positive one prevail and be reflected in your everyday decision and action.
“Like anyone else, I too have the potential for violence; I too have anger in me. However, I try to recall that anger is a destructive emotion. I remind myself that scientists now say that anger is bad for our health; it eats into our immune system. So, anger destroys our peace of mind and our physical health. We shouldn’t welcome it or think of it as natural or as a friend.”
-Dalai lama
5. Start discovering and know how lucky you are
The fact that you have the opportunity to read this article and you do not need to worry about your next meal proves that you are already luckier than than at least 1.02 billion of people.
Every day, poverty kills more than 50,000 innocent people – 18 million every year.
Source: World Health Organization
These statistics account for one third of all human deaths. More people die as a result of extreme poverty than of any other cause. Source: WHO 2008
1.37 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, and 2.56 billion live on less than $2 a day. Moreover, 5.05 billion people (more than 80 percent of the world’s population) live on less than $10 a day.
Source: World Bank 2005
Because of the global economic slowdown and rising food prices, FAO projects 100 million more people will suffer from poverty and chronic hunger by the end of 2009 – an 11% increase from 2008.
Source: World Food Program 2009
For more reliable statistics, visit:http://www.heartsandminds.org/poverty/hungerfacts.htm
6. Start believing in yourself that you deserve something better
Lack of confidence is what kills your talent. At times, you really need to show what you are capable of and be the leader. Let people around you know that you are a diamond and you can shine. If you can lead, then take the chance and lead those who have faith in you. Have more confidence in yourself. It does not matter if you fail. Fail or success, you will learn. The confidence of yours makes you a more charismatic person ever and people respect that.
“Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.”
– Brad Henry
7. Start looking into the future and decide who you really want to be
Stop belittle yourself. The human is only as as big as his imagination and his dream. Stop letting the limitation you imagine ruining your life. Put all the limitation aside. Just decide what is the best you want in your life, and then only look at the uprising problem and solve them one by one. If you look at the limitation first, it will kill your dreams.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You
8. Start forgiving yourself and the others in your life
You can keep things forever in your heart. And I bet you still do it up to now. How does it feel? If you keep unhappy things in your heart, it will never turn into anything happy one day. It has happened for so long. It is time to put it down. This will help to enlighten your present and your future. Forgive yourself for the stupid mistakes you make and forgive the others who have hurt you in life.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
― Mahatma Gandhi, All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections
9. Start appreciating the small beautiful things around you
How long since the last time you look at the sky, observe the beauty of sunrise and sunset, the elegance of the moon and the stars? Slow down your pace, so that you can rediscover all these beautiful little things in your life. Appreciate them all while you can.
“When you take the small roads you see the life that goes on there, and this makes your own life larger.”
― Elizabeth Berg
10. Start taking new steps towards your goal every day
Stop procrastinating. If you have a dream, and you just keep it in your head, it will never come true. You must be aware that for dreams to come true, you need to be committed and take all the necessary action. Stop wasting your time thinking all about the what if problems and all the limitation which appear in your mind. It is okay to be aware of the potential problems but if you are wasting too much time just thinking about them will not bring you forward. Life is full of uncertainty but you can’t afford to spend your whole life worrying because life, it is too short.
“The future depends on what you do today.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
11. Start opening your mind and widening your horizon
You can choose to have the same thinking and mindset until the day you die, or you can open up your mind a little bit and start learning to see things from a different perspective. If you can do this, you will find the conflicts between you and those around you magically disappear because you have learned to respect other people’s opinion and see things from the other’s perspective. If you allow it, you will be surprised to see that there are so many things you can learn from your friends.
“It’s okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by other people. That doesn’t give you the right to deny any sense they might make. Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don’t like what they are saying. Learn to recognize good writing when you read it, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable.”
― Ashly Lorenzana
12. Start doing things you love
Life is too short after all, isn’t it? If you do not do the things you love right now, when exactly you are going to do it then?
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
-Steve Jobs
13. Start spending your time with your loved ones
Your family and your real friends. No matter you are happy or sad, they will always be there for you. This kind of bond is priceless. You can’t buy it no matter how rich you are. They come into your life all because of fate. Treasure them, love them back and tell them how important they meant in your life. Forget about those who are merely using you or hurting you constantly. Pay more attention to your loved ones because they are the only ones matter in your life.
“Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all, mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.”
– George Carlin
14. Start visiting the place you’ve always dreamt to go
It is time to start planning a trip to somewhere you have never been to in your life. Learn how people in the other part of this planet live, eat, communicate and lead their lives. Be ready to be amazed by the difference in beliefs, culture and life style.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
– Mark Twain“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
– St. Augustine
15. Start expressing your true feelings to everyone around you
Be honest towards yourself and people around you. Faking does not get the relationship long way down the road. Be who you really are and let them choose whether to accept the true you or not. Stop worrying what if people do not accept the true you. If that happens it does not mean you are not worth to befriend with, it simply means they are not meant to be in your social circle. You can’t please anyone and be friend with everyone. Be the true you and let those who love the true you comes into your life.
“About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won’t like you at all.”
― Rita Mae Brown
16. Start leading a healthy lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle does not limit only to your diet menu. Your mental health and social health matters a lot as well. You have to strive a balance between these 3 health to achieve a truly healthy lifestyle. It is not easy to change your lifestyle. However, remembering the impact and the changes you want to see in your life will definitely encourage you to do so.
“A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison.”
– Francis Bacon
17. Start giving compliments to other people
If you love the cookies your girlfriend made for you, give complement. If you love how he/she smiles, give compliments. Give sincere compliments to everyone. It is one wonderful way to appreciate things. Giving compliments cost you nothing. In fact, you make other people happy, feel appreciated and want to give you more. So, why not?
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
― Voltaire
“Appreciation can make a day – even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”
– Margaret Cousins
18. Start to learn more about yourself
Learn who you really are. Identify your true strength and weaknesses. Know what you are truly capable of and improve what you are weak at. If you know yourself very well, it will help to boost your confidence which is very important for your working performance and your social life.
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.”
-Lao Tzu
19. Start making a difference
There a millions of people suffer from hunger and poverty. In fact, one sixth of humanity do not have enough food to eat. That is more than the population of the United States, Canada and the European Union combined. Start giving something to people in needs. You do not need to be very wealthy to give and to share what you have. A little contribution from you can make a huge difference in their life. Join some charity group and make a difference today. Putting a smile on people’s face is a wonderful thing to do.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
― Mother Teresa
20. Start following your heart and intuition
At times, you need to follow your heart and intuition and do something you really want to do, even though it might be contradicted with the ideal plan which others have created for you. When you follow your heart and intuition, things will get a little bit messy, but your life will be filled with more surprises and excitement.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
– Steve Jobs
21. Start loving unconditionally
Love people as if it is your last day to stay together with them. Love the animals and the planet earth since they have made this world a better place to live. Love, love without asking anything in return.
“You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper
22. Start taking full control of your life
If the same problem arises consistently in your life, then perhaps the root cause of the problem might be you yourself. It can be your mindset, your attitude that influence you to take certain decision and give rise to the problem. If you are questioning why only the wrong people walks into your life, then perhaps you should look at how and where you expand your social circle. If you are wondering why you have no real friends, then perhaps you should pay attention to the way you speak, the locus of your sentence and your attitude. Maybe you should learn to listen more instead of keep talking about yourself. Look at the problems and ask yourself how you can take control of it and change it. This requires a lot of responsibility. If you think it is all about external cause, you are basically telling yourself that it is out of your control. It renders you powerless. So, try to avoid that by telling yourself that you have to responsibility to change your own life.
“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”
– Brian Tracy
23. Start sharing with everyone around you
Put down a list of items which you can share with your friends. Sharing is the most magical way to earn new friends and form a stronger bond between you and your family and friends. It is through sharing, you show others that you’ve accepted them In your life. People only share their real thoughts, their real stories with people who they trust. Sharing is an indirect way of telling others you trust them.
“Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.”
― Brian Tracy
24. Starts getting your life on purpose
Do you have a mission in your life? If there’s one day, you know that you can only live for another 24 hours, what would you want to do the most? Would you regret for the things you have never done before? Look at the big picture of your life and start doing something you are meant to accomplish. Look beyond the present, find your calling, your destiny.
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
-Mark Twain
25. Start learning from the one who inspired you
Extraordinary people create miracle under circumstances where most others despair. These people have an extraordinary way of thinking, knowledge and mindset. Learning from them directly saves you a lot of time without the need to go through all the unnecessary pitfall. Learn from those inspires you and then become the seeds of inspiration for the other people in the future.
“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.”
– Alfred Sheinwold
26. Start reading some self-improvement books
Our lives, societal environment have become more complex than ever because of the advancement of technology and the change of moral values. Somehow, people have become more materialistic, and a lot of them pay more attention to impress the others rather than on their own happiness. Read more self-improvement books, see how the others achieve happiness in life, be motivated and then transform your own life into a better one too.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”
– Zig Ziglar
27. Start opening up your heart and let things come into your life
If you do not have many beautiful moments in your life, then perhaps you have been too protective over yourself. I have seen some people say they do want to fall in love because they want to avoid getting hurt. I have also seen animal lover do not want to adopt animals themselves because they are afraid of the pain of losing their pet one day (dogs and cats have a generally short life span). I understand the pain which some called it the price of love can be very hurting sometimes. But, it is worthwhile for it, because the love you can get by letting things/people comes into your life always outweigh the pain you might receive. Love is one big part of life. If you’re willing to open up your heart, you will see a lot of changes happening in your life within 2 months.
“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
― Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
― Mother Teresa
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[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://inspirationboost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ds-profile-pic3.png[/author_image] [author_info]Darren Chow writes at www.InspirationBoost.com. He truly believes that positivity is contagious, so does your smile. Thus, he founded Inspiration Boost with a core vision: to spread inspiration to as many people as possible. [/author_info] [/author]