CHANGING LIFE IN SIMPLE WAYS

<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyhseyREhkaM8pDntSYs9yh6djz5I9mrihMx0tKMrdXT4c7P19aO-SQv4l5aOCAy4-nzXcb0xF6zcPLqbbHuROUTga5Ej7OkMTx3TIgKZZ5NH4AN8mcne0ccMyUYHRe_ygGTCOsm7Qgo/s640/Smiley-face-mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="640" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyhseyREhkaM8pDntSYs9yh6djz5I9mrihMx0tKMrdXT4c7P19aO-SQv4l5aOCAy4-nzXcb0xF6zcPLqbbHuROUTga5Ej7OkMTx3TIgKZZ5NH4AN8mcne0ccMyUYHRe_ygGTCOsm7Qgo/w400-h208/Smiley-face-mug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><br /></span></div><div>Instead of asking yourself why you are here and what exactly it is you should be doing, let us begin to make your experiences the answer to your questions and put some meaning and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">oomph</em> back in your life, where they belong.</div></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><b>1. Learn the Lesson on Happiness</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Yes, I know, you’ve heard it before: happiness is a choice. Yes, it is, and luckily it can be practiced by anyone because the truth is you can actually override what you were originally taught, which is to play along with the rest of the world and become upset or unhappy because things are not perfect.<br />Alright, I’m not saying always have a deluded smile on your face (people <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">will</em> think you’re crazy) but instead stay calm and stay happy, whilst dealing with situations that need your attention.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;"><b>2. Follow Your Gifts and Talents</b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Discovering your gifts and talents will give meaning to your life and can lead to finding your purpose. Here are a few questions that will help you discover what underlying gifts and talents you have:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 0px;">What comes naturally to you?</li></ul><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 0px;">When do you feel the best?</li></ul><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 0px;">What are you doing or experiencing then?</li></ul><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw);">In what way do you love to help other people?</li></ul><div><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;"><b>3. Make Great Connections</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Spend time with the people that add to your life and lift you up. This could be anyone from friends to work colleagues.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">Spend less time with people that drain your energy or constantly give negative vibes. Jim Rohm puts it this way,</p><blockquote style="background-color: #e9ecef; box-sizing: border-box; color: #283646; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 2rem 0px; padding: 1.5em; position: relative;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px;">“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”</p></blockquote><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">Begin to notice how you feel around others. (Hint: you should feel good.)</p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;"><b>4. Help Others</b></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Helping other people helps you feel good, definitely makes you feel worthy, and gives you some sense of purpose. Giving to others in time, money or helping them out in any way you can is a sure way to give yourself meaning in life.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">So, the question is this: Do you know anyone you can help this week?</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, times new roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;"><b>5. Do Something You’ve Always Wanted To Do</b></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">What’s that thing you always think about doing <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">someday</em>? Well, guess what? Your time has come, my friend, because you’re going to do it.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Step 1.</span> Identify your ‘thing’.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Step 2. </span>Go do it.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 1.1rem; line-height: calc(1.5em + 0.3333vw); margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">If this is an impossible two-step process for you right now, then start working towards, saving, learning or doing whatever it will take to make it happen. But make your first step!</p></div></div>

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RymfH7toGCWkPCI-K4Ez3qL3tcNU0WO_P4n3v1Th0B7VQKfPyABMDO2_WvDL1evn3TSkS8hesPvX3fouw2bG-PTKUuPWSB8auuuCS3G26nn-KUcXBSrvEMCl6WRZFaAnDvB_TtHg7oY/s1000/new-beg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RymfH7toGCWkPCI-K4Ez3qL3tcNU0WO_P4n3v1Th0B7VQKfPyABMDO2_WvDL1evn3TSkS8hesPvX3fouw2bG-PTKUuPWSB8auuuCS3G26nn-KUcXBSrvEMCl6WRZFaAnDvB_TtHg7oY/w640-h320/new-beg2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">It's never too late. Believe in yourself and the best time to set new goals and create a plan to accomplish them is now. The foundation of self-confidence, and ultimately happiness, is hard work. But when there is a lot work to be done, it can be overwhelming- causing you to either give up before you start, or to go in head first without a plan and fail. Big shifts and goals require thoughtful reflection about what you want and what is standing in your way. After you know those things, you can formulate a plan to address them.</span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">Here are the steps you take to get started:</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">1. Stop Making Excuses </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">Excuses are what hold you back, and they are almost always the only thing between you and your goal. Identify the excuses you make, and figure out a way to prevent making those excuses. Come up with strategies to combat your excuses, and ways to force yourself to make changes. It is not going to be easy, it is going to be really hard, but you will conquer your first major roadblock on the road to accomplishing your goals.</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">2. Set Goals </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">It's tempting to set big goals, but to start making sustainable progress, it is better to begin with manageable goals. Want to change jobs? Apply to 5 jobs and send 5 introductory emails a week, and build from there. Want to lose weight? Go to the gym two or three times a week, or go on two to three walks a week. Want to change the status of your personal life? Make an effort to be social and put yourself out there, actively ask people to grab a beverage or a meal a couple of times a week. Starting small is how you create a habit. If you run twice a week for a month, you can go three times a week the next month, and then two months after that you're running five times a week. That's a new lifestyle in four months. If you have a base habit to support you, it is easier to build on that then to go head first into running five times a week.</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">3. Create A Routine  </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">A routine consists entirely of discipline. Disciplined people carve out time to get work done, or exercise, or whatever their goal may be wherever they are, and whenever they have a spare moment. Don't think you have time? Is there a TV show you keep up with? You don't anymore. Spend a lot of time on social media? Get a blocker or deactivate your accounts. You make time for things you care about, if this is a goal you want to achieve you will find the time for it. People who habitually get up and go for a run, stick to a healthy diet and have their dream job built their life by dedicating time to their goals every day- it is the only way to make consistent progress.</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">4. Hold Yourself Accountable  </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">Saying your goals out loud makes them real- so tell someone you trust your goals and how you plan to achieve them. When you tell someone your goals it means they will inquire about your progress and you will have to tell them. Having someone to check in with every week or two and who you have to report your progress is like having a coach or a teacher you have to answer to- not meeting your goals will have consequences, you won't be able to shrug and move on with your life. Telling people means you are serious about your goals, so telling someone helps hold you accountable.</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">5. Track Your Progress   </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">Write down what you have done: whether it is applying for jobs, sending emails for informal interviews, asking more people out for coffee, eating more salad, etc. write it down so you know how you are doing. Not only does it help keep you on track, but it helps remind you that you are doing it. You are taking real steps to accomplish your goals, one day at a time. So write it down!</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">6. Failure Is Integral To Success</span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">Life happens. There are busy weeks at work, unforeseen events that will prevent you from completing your routine, disasters, your birthday, etc. It does not matter that you fail for one week or one month. What matters is you get back on track every time. Learning to shake off failure and start afresh is the only way you will accomplish your goals. Everyone fails, it can not be a reason you give up. Keep going.</p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">7. Exercise </span></p><p style="background-color: #fcfcfc; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;">According to the CDC, "Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression," which will be important as you work your way to your goal. There will be times you are frustrated, and you will want to rely on your old excuses- but you can't. A healthy way to deal with frustration and stress is exercise. Keeping a healthy mindset is integral to making long-term, big change, and exercise is a healthy, natural way to release stress. Changing your life is not easy, so take care of yourself so you can be your best self every day.</p>