Life is simple but it’s not easy. Making the best or right choice in the moment can be hampered by many things. Peer pressure, emotions, physical comfort, and limiting thoughts and beliefs about our worthiness can have us taking the easy route every time. Remembering what is important and reminding ourselves that we deserve the best will help us skip momentary, fleeting pleasure for lasting joy and satisfaction.
Following are some tips to help you live simply and make the best choices.
- Find Your Passion. When you have something in your life that you are passionate about, you won’t pass time dreaming of a better life or spending a lot of money to distract from the life you have now. This doesn’t necessarily have to be paid employment. It can be gardening or painting or any nearly infinite number of pursuits.
- Laugh. The more the better! It not only makes you feel good but it reduces stress, elevates mood, and it’s good for your heart.
- Stretch Yourself. Exercise your body and mind everyday by doing activities such as walking, yoga, crossword puzzles, reading, discussing challenging issues and learning to play a musical instrument or to speak a foreign language. You will feel better, learn, and be able to focus more clearly.
- Feel the Love. Spend time with people you love and enjoy connecting with. You will be happier overall with this reminder of what is one of the best things in life.
- Find Fulfilling Work. We spend so much time at work – time that we would rather spend with those we love, time we could be doing something we’re passionate about – so make it count. Finding work that is interesting, challenging, rewarding, or meaningful can change our whole outlook on life.
- Relax. Meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on taking slow deep breaths for as little as one minute. You can do this when you begin to feel stressed, when you want to prepare yourself for a particular event or situation or when you want to achieve a certain outcome. Thinking the same thought or affirmation over and over can also enhance your relaxation and focus. For example: “I am calm and relaxed” or “I can handle anything.”
- Visualize. When you are relaxed create a picture in your mind of you having the life you want, doing the things you want to do with the people you want to do them with. Make it as vivid as possible using all your senses. Focus on this vision at least twice a day – when you first awake and before you fall asleep. This will help make your dreams a reality!
- Wear Comfortable Shoes. Life is a journey. There are lots of roads we will travel. Some are dead ends or go off in a direction we don’t want to go. If you want your feet to carry you all the way, wear comfortable shoes.
What are your tips for living simply and making your best choices?
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