5 Quick Reminders to Tell Yourself Every Day
Get a focused and livelier start to your day!
1. Live in the Present
The time we have to live our best lives only exists in the present. Let any past feelings or future worries pass through you. The anxieties stemmed from them are often overemphasized and don’t exist in natural space. No amount of dwelling can change past stories nor can it help change your future ones. Accept past mistakes and events and take ownership over them. Be less certain of your future, this will allow you to not be frozen up by tomorrow’s mysterious ways. Breathe deeply and allow yourself to be present by taking charge of your current responsibilities. Focus on what you can do. Now.
Take the reins of your life by living in the present. Meditation and exercise help with practicing to be present. Better yet, doing these activities at the start of the day is an amazing way to bring momentum. Talking and making plans with friends and family help as well!
2. Reaffirm Your Goals and Take Action
Remind yourself of your why(s) and get cracking.
Action breeds change, and with change comes more opportunity and accomplishment. Here and now, take action by completing small tasks and responsibilities. These tasks can be anything you can do today that will ultimately help you work towards your goals. Accomplishing the day-to-day tasks may seem very minuscule, but, in the long run, the work that you have put in will accumulate.
Don’t reject the importance of the more normal and boring day-to-day responsibilities. Responsibilities like cooking, laundry, going to the doctor’s office and getting up from your musty bed to shower. This can also include responsibilities that may smack you right in the face. Not everything in your day-to-day will go according to plan, you have to embrace mental flexibility when events obstruct your day plans.
It’s the ownership over every possible detail in your life, small and big, that propels you forward. In that way, nothing gets in your way or slows you down. All things that come in front of you get handled.
Take action consistently, no matter how small.
Bring momentum to the start of your day by remembering your inspirations and why you want to accomplish the things you want to accomplish.
Then get going.
3. There’s no Rush for Change, be Patient
Within your day-to-day, mold a calm and optimistic demeanor by practicing patience. Practicing patience can be done in many ways, but I think the underlying practice starts with coming to terms with the fact that your goals and personal improvements cannot happen overnight. It’s not a switch you can just flip. It means going back to work and making adjustments to your action plan when things don’t work out. It means not being too hard on yourself when you fall short in any dimension of your life.
Practicing patience can be seen in almost like a swagger-like manner, optimistically knowing things will work out if you keep going.
I know you’re eager to make changes in your life. Cultivating patience will not only help you wither the storm but help you go through it. You’ll come out on the other side a different and better being.
Go at your own pace consistently and be kind to yourself today.
4. Your Health is Important
Don’t neglect your health, take some time off the grind if you’ve lost your purpose and feel numb to the work you have been doing. Burnout is real and can set you back more than taking some time off. Mentally and physically recovering is hugely important in improving your life.
Eat food that energizes the body. Yes, I’m talking more greens and proteins (not protein in excess, however) and less sugar and carbs. Eating the right foods can be complicated depending on the person so I won’t preach on this further. You know what foods that can help you energize your body.
Get some fresh air (opening a window next to your desk is not a solution) through a walk or bike, and exercise on a weekly basis.
Meditate and get a good sleeping routine (7–9 hours depending on how much you think your body needs).
Make working towards your goals become sustainable by maintaining your mind, body, and soul. Remind yourself of the importance of these factors because they can often be forgotten/overlooked.
5. Compare You to You
A mental crutch that holds many back, including me, is comparison to others. Social media, and now back to walking around in the presence of others, can bring unwanted comparisons to strangers whom you have never met or spoken to before. It can bring us down, make us feel anxious and unwilling to take action. Whether it’d be conscious or unconscious, our brains like to evaluate our life based on where/how others are. The social media age has exacerbated this tendency. The comparison tendency will always be there, but its power over our mental state can be diminished by knowing some things:
- It’s a losing battle when you compare yourself to someone else. We overestimate a stranger’s happiness, and in reality, we don’t know squat about them or their personal struggles. It’s the ultimate insult to ourselves (whom we will only occupy in our lives), to envy those who we are not.
- You have a lot to bring to the world. Maybe you don’t know it yet, but everyone has something great to bring to the world. Why not take the time to figure out what that is?
- No one is better than you, nor are you better than anyone.
- Let go of outside validation and people’s disapproval of you. Strangers or people you know are not the center of your universe, nor are you to them.
It’s a winning battle when you compare today’s you to yesterday’s you. Love yourself. Yourself is the only person that literally sticks around forever.
Be the best self you can be. Now.
Thanks, everyone for reading this article! I write these articles to help others and serve this as a reminder to myself. Please provide any feedback if you have the time, thanks!
