I don't want to fall into a rut and die so I'm looking for ways to improve my life. Just this past couple of weeks, I suddenly feel so in control of my life. I'm getting better at tennis. I have defined a reasonable financial objective and I am fairly confident about achieving them, at least the short-term and mid-term ones. I feel really good and I makes me want to do something that would make me feel even better. So I was browsing on the internet and I came across this blog. It's a list of stuff you can do to make your life better. Since I have time and in a personal-improvement mode, here they are:
Accept my mistakes. That's easy enough. I am perfectly sure that right now I am not carrying a chip over some mistake that I did.
Accept my friends' mistakes. Also no problem. I have this tendency to hold a grudge over someone who did me really wrong especially if they are my friends because I just feel like they should know better. But right now, there are no mistakes from friends that are looming over my head unaccepted so this is a check.
Create a new habit. I'm trying to make a habit out of making a gratitude list every week. I usually do the list on Mondays so that I don't feel too bugged about the weekend being over. I'm still starting so it's very hard to try to remember to keep at it.
Build self-discipline. This one takes a lot of effort. It will probably take me my entire lifetime to do this. This is an on-going process for me.
Make new friends. Damn. I knew this was gonna be on the list. It's always on all self-improvement lists. I swear I'll try. I am not opposed to making new friends. I just couldn't get myself to start up a conversation. When somebody approaches me to make friends with me, I'm not gonna give him a hard time but I'm not gonna be the one. to. start. the. conversation.
Get a new job. I can't. I'm still 6 months into this one. And I happen to like it.
Start a new diet. I will. But not a diet diet. It's more like a diet that will include more variety into my meals. But I'm going to start that when I have a new place where I can actually cook.
Keep a journal. Yes.
Create and keep a morning phrase. Apparently, this is something you say to yourself every morning to set your mood for the whole day. I'll think of something.
Travel far away from home. Well, I'm living in a place far away from home so I guess this is done.
Learn to take risks. Yes, I am sort of a risk-taker. I've moved out of our house. I've quit a job. I've jumped off a cliff to a deep water and I am not even confident with my ability to swim.
Start your own business. Hmmm... I don't know...
Change your work space. Okay, I'll work on that.
Learn a new language. Spanish. Next year.
Find reasons to agree. Are you kidding me? I'm the most agreeable person I know.
Pay yourself first. I thought I was already doing this because everytime I get my paycheck I always buy myself stuff first. Now I understand that when I do that, I am paying the store, not myself. Paying yourself means put part of your income in your savings account first. Started doing it just this month.
Wake up early. Well, I would not know how to measure this because I work during the night. I will be transferred to a morning shift soon so I will know then.
Train your focus. For me, this is similar to the self-discipline thing. I'm working on it.
Start a blog. Done.
Write an ebook. I don't know. That's kinda hard.
Be better, not perfect. An ongoing process.
Stop self-sabotage. I don't think I do this. I self-doubt but I don't self-sabotage.
Find reasons to love your life. I don't need reasons. I love myself. Period.
Try something new. I tried Thai food. It did horrible things to my stomach. I will still go on trying new things though. I love the sense of adventure it brings.
Avoid fighting. I do. At all cost. Even to the point of saying yes to everything. And that does not improve my life. I need to learn to say no without guilt.
Stop wasting power. Again, it's the self-discipline thing.
Learn to ignore. I am good at this. It annoys my mother that she can't annoy me. Nyahaha.
Experiment gratitude. Not only do I experiment it but I practice it. I say thank you to everyone even if they are just doing it because it's their job.
Recycle your aggression. This is why I love tennis. You can do to the ball what you can't do to the person who annoys the hell out of you.
Release your guardian. Guardians are those which are keeping you from jumping into opportunities or doing something crazy. I'm okay in this department. I don't have a lot of guardians. Just enough to keep me in the right path.
Clean up your house. I don't have a house so I guess the room will do.
Write a personal mission statement. Hmmm. Kinda hard also.
Dissolve negative opinions about yourself. I don't have a negative opinion of myself. I have a realistic opinion of myself and even those I try to break. Sometimes. Little by little.
Build different skills. Writing is a skill I'm trying to build. Something which is completely different from my field.
Manage your time as you manage your money. Also a work in progress.
Exercise. Since I started doing tennis, I realize why a lot of people, including myself in the past, are not successful with their exercise regimen. It's because for them, exercise means to jog or go to the gym. Well guess what, guys. The reason why you can't keep at jogging or going to the gym is because it is boring. Try a sport. It's way better.
Be a parent. No.
Throw away one object a day from your house. No. To what end? Why buy stuff when you are just gonna throw it away? Unless it is badly damaged. Besides, I'm a packrat. It's against my nature.
Read a book per week. A book per month is more realistic for me. Sorry.
Start a monthly challenge. I'm not every good at thinking out challenges. Throw me a challenge and I'll try my hand at it.
Call an old friend. Done.
Follow a coincidence. No. I think it's more romantic that they remain a coincidence. When it's a coincidence, it's nature's accident. It's the universe conspiring. I love that.
Play a game. Tennis game?
Forgive somebody out of the blue. I don't know anyone who needs forgiveness from me.
Stop solving the wrong problems. Yes. Sometimes I fall into this kind of trap. I lose focus and end up worrying about the wrong things.
Make peace with an old enemy. Ummm... I don't have an old enemy that I know of.
Make a promise to a close person and keep it. Really? And that would improve my life how?
Break up with a person you don't really like. Ahhh...
Get a thing you wanted for a long time. This makes me sad. I can't remember anything I wanted for a long time. Damn.
Stop being judgmental. Fortunately, I am seldom judgmental. Haha.
(to be continued...)
more from Dragos Roua- Brilliantly Better
0 comments:
Post a Comment