3 Simple Practices To Improve Your Life (Part 1)
Practice makes progress!
Moving through life with intention involves reflecting on what you value, choosing to prioritize goals that are in line with your values, and taking action towards these goals.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
― Rumi
Once you figure out your ‘why’, the ‘how’ will still be challenging, but moving towards intrinsically satisfying goals is a much more fulfilling path than aimless trial and error. My friend Nick once said, “If you don’t have a plan, you are part of somebody else’s.” It follows that the first practice that has improved my life is creating a personal mission statement.
Practice #1: Create a Personal Mission Statement
A personal mission statement is a declaration of your core values, beliefs, goals, and how you define success. When it is well thought out, your personal mission statement can serve as a GPS for your life, guiding you to make decisions which are in alignment with the life you want. Additionally, staying focused on your mission statement allows you to create boundaries which ease the decision making process.
A personal mission statement provides a sense of direction and motivation, particularly during challenging times or when facing difficult decisions. It helps us stay true to ourselves and our beliefs, and can be a source of inspiration and empowerment.
I come back to my personal mission statement frequently. Your mission statement may remain the static over time, or may evolve as you do. I have a general mission statement which serves as my roadmap in life, and I have specific mission statements for different aspects of my life (career, relationship, family, health etc.) which serve as compasses, allowing me to fine tune my navigation.
This is my general mission statement:
I am a passionate leader and creator, dedicated to a lifelong path of learning and exploring. I pour love into all of my endeavours, ever propelled forward by my desire to contribute positively to my communities and networks, while gaining a deeper understanding of my world and existence.
My mission guides me along my path, allowing me to lead with compassion and curiosity and let the ‘how’ unfold organically.
***EXERCISE***
If you haven’t already, take 10 minutes and draft up a personal mission statement. If you are struggling with the big picture, focus on an immediate goal and write a mission statement focused on that goal!
Here are some tips to guide you in writing your own personal mission statement.
If you are feeling brave, please share them in the comments or message me directly. I’d love to hear them.
Practice #2: Journal
There is a shelf in my closet dedicated to completed journals. In one form or another, I’ve been journalling for over 20 years. Writing is reflective, cathartic, clarifying, and therapeutic. As an additional benefit, writing things down by hand helps embed information in our memory, because the act of writing engages our motor circuits.
When I started journalling, I would mostly use stream-of-consciousness technique, writing whatever popped into my mind. When I travelled, I would use journals to keep track of my adventures and highlights. These days, I tend to keep my journalling brief and try to do it first thing in the morning.
A typical journal entry for me is structured like this:
Gratitude: list three items I am grateful for.
I try to switch this up as much as possible, although you will find that you are grateful for certain things over and over again. This is a powerful message to nurture these sources of gratitude. Gratitude is a practice in itself, and a wicked powerful mindset.
Example from my journal: cuddles, struggles, and naps :)
“Enjoy the little things. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
-Robert Brault
Challenge: list an item or two that I am challenged by.
The act of acknowledging and naming our challenges externalizes them from ourselves. We are not the problem, our problems are the problem! Simplified, yes. Effective, hell yes! Writing down one or two challenges daily helps me to recognize their shifting and sometimes temporary nature, and allows me to lean into them without assigning blame to myself.
Examples from my journal: creating boundaries in work relationships, self-doubt, maintaining focus.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin
Set Intentions.
Our brains are overloaded with information every day. Setting an intention is like applying a filter to your brain. What do you want to focus on today? How do you want to see your world? Practice intention setting, and you get to decide!
I set intentions for:
- What energy do I want to carry throughout my day,
- What do I wish to focus on,
- What are my priorities,
- How I will feel throughout the day,
- How I will to interact with others,
- How I will respond to the countless uncertainties and decision points I am faced with each day.
Examples from my journal: I will be present in my interactions with others, I will remain calm and focused, I will not take myself too seriously, I will allow myself to rest, I will have fun!
Click here for more examples of daily intentions.
Today, I get to: ______.
What are you excited about today?
This is my last prompt and it comes back to framing my life with gratitude. What do you get to do today that will enrich your life and the lives of those you love?
Examples from my journal: go snowboarding, make pancakes, work on a paper for school, go for a walk.
One of my favourite things about journalling is reading previous entries. Looking back on how your frame of mind changes or remains constant, identifying themes and patterns, reflecting on your struggles, victories and growths is a beautiful and powerful practice.
“The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in a journal.”
- Robin Sharma
Practice #3: Serve Others
I have my mom to thank for instilling this lesson in my brother and I. We were shovelling our neighbours driveways, collecting food for the food bank, and volunteering at soup kitchens when we were in elementary school. Mom saw the humanity and beauty in everyone. She tried to help alleviate suffering and give people a boost in any way she could. I carry my mom’s non-judgemental, loving disposition with me through life, offering help where and when I can. The community I am part of mirrors my attitude and has created a web of support that makes me feel safe and grounded.
My life is rich because I serve others.
Research has found that altruistic emotions and behaviours are associated with greater well-being, health, and longevity. Further benefits of serving others include:
- You will positively impact the lives of others. Your presence will enrich the lives of those around you!
- You will builds strong relationships with people that you serve and other like-minded volunteers and helpers.
- You will find a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity.
- You will gain perspective. The more you serve, the more you realize that every single person struggles. Suffering is universal, although it manifests in different ways. Connecting with others through service and struggle provides perspective on your own life and challenges.
- You will inspire others to follow your example, creating a ripple effect.
- You may feel renewed, have your self esteem boosted, experience growth, and many more benefits.
Why you should start NOW!
“What a vicious circle we can put ourselves in: we have come to accept the notion of “fix me first,” when part of the essential fixing we all need is to be compassionately involved with others.”
― Bo Lozoff
Humans are social creatures. We need connection to survive. As more of our interactions become fragmented and digitized, loneliness and isolation grow. The self help industry has exploded with advice on how we can ‘heal’ ourselves; “focus on yourself”, “put yourself first”, “take time and space to heal”, “don’t enter into any relationships until you heal first.”
I’m all for having healthy boundaries and spending time in solitude, but humans do not live in vacuums, nor do we heal in vacuums. Solely focusing on yourself, your goals, and your healing will lead to navel gazing, further isolation, and a sense of purposelessness. We need each other! Helping connections are mutually beneficial.
Healing is not a linear process, it has no fixed timeline, nor is it a destination. Healing is a lifelong process that involves a lot of zig-zagging. Forging connections, building strong relationships, making mistakes, taking chances, failing, succeeding, making space for solitude, and serving the people around you are all part of the process of living and healing.
A final note that serving others can take many forms. Here are a few to get you started:
- Compliment your partner/friend today!
- Meet your neighbour. (Bonus points for bringing baked goods or veggies from your garden.)
- Bring flowers to a local senior’s center.
- Bring a donation to the foodbank.
- Make a monetary donation to a local non-profit organization.
- Reach out to someone that inspires you and tell them why you appreciate them.
- Apply your skills volunteering for a local organization.
- CALL YOUR MOM! Tell her you love her.
Practice makes progress! If you want to create changes in your life, getting to know yourself is an excellent start. What do you want out of life? What seeds will you water?
Everyone has to find systems and approaches that work for them. If sharing my practices has been helpful to you, please share in the comments!
Stay tuned for “Simple Practices To Improve Your Life (Part 2)”
Lots of love!
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