These 6 habits will make you a better life

- Look outside your immediate world
The best ideas often exist outside your industry. Expand your view of the world. When I was looking for new ways to manage software risk, I read the Checklist Manifesto and learnt what the aviation or skyscraper industry does and how it was applied to surgery. Read a magazine you have never read or visit a new website. I have learnt a lot from re-reading children’s books, or by asking questions to my young nephews who have a completely different world view.
2. Write down your thoughts
Get into the habit of writing down your thoughts, ideas, inspirations. It is a good habit to carry a moleskin notebook and a pen with you, or to note things down on your phone. Besides the discipline required to capture these things, writing things down helps to distill them and bring clarity. I often journal on my phone, and then rewrite them on paper when I am home. The thoughts change shape and give me more concrete directions as I write them down.
3. Network with people whose lives, companies, or ideas are interesting
I have often reached out to people via email or LinkedIn who I did not know first hand. Expecting nothing, I have always been surprised how complete strangers have given me more leads, or offered to refer me to their companies for specific roles. Many have offered to meet to talk about their work and often had valuable insights that I might not have come across on my on.
4. Examine yourself, and what you make
What is it like to be your own customer? Call your customer service for an issue. Browse your website and see how easy it is to use (or not). Talk to the people who are doing your customer support. This goes for not just what you do at work but also your own self-branding and presentation. What is it like to spend an evening with you? Are you affable and high energy? Are you focused on finding resolutions and communicating to reduce conflict? Are you aware of what internal or external conditions make you unable to be at your best? It will show you what you need to change about yourself.
5. Read as much as you can, and make it an active process
Read, read, read. Books, community websites, blogs, newspapers — all provide a variety of perspectives. Write down or annotate actively when you read, this helps to commit things to memory. You may or may not agree with all of them, but the exposure will help you learn to accept different viewpoints, and synthesize and augment them to create a solid point of view of your own on different topics. I usually do two passes on a book, the first pass when I read and dog-ear important pages, and a second pass when I visit the dog-eared pages and write down the salient points along with my thoughts into my diary.
6. Create an informal advisory board for your life
Ask friends, past and present colleagues and mentors, people you meet at the gym or swimming pool, or at other activities you do, to meet over coffee to share insights on a wide range of topics. Go beyond the usual chitchat. Fuel the discussion with thoughtful questions and encourage others to do the same. Sometimes you might be able to bring them together at the same table. Try to be around people who you want to be like. Most people are glad to lend a helping hand. I have mentors who I haven’t seen in years who still welcome me to their homes with open arms and give me advice about personal and professional matters. I am better off for that privilege.
