Are you in a bit of a rut and wondering what to do to make things better? Or maybe life is already good, but you want it to be great. Most of us have some room for improvement, and below are some of the ways we can get the most out of our lives.
Are you in a bit of a rut and wondering what to do to make things better? Or maybe life is already good, but you want it to be great. Most of us have some room for improvement, and below are some of the ways we can get the most out of our lives.
Focus on your health
There’s only one you, so it’s important to look after the body you’re in. We all want more time to spend with our kids, grand kids and even great grand kids- while life is never guaranteed, we can do what we can by looking after our health. Eat well, make an effort to exercise and get enough sleep at night. Make relaxation a priority, chronic stress is bad for the mind as well as the body. Take small steps to change if you must, as long as they’re in the right direction your health will thank you for it. You could avoid illness and disease, and even add years onto your life.
Travel
Travel makes life interesting- we live on an incredible planet and miss out on so much by staying in one place. It doesn’t always have to be staying in luxurious hotels and eating in five star restaurants. Go camping and sleep under the stars, take road trips to incredible places, go backpacking and visit random places sleeping in motels and hostels. Just get yourself out there, experience the culture, food and people of a place. It’s time and money that you’ll never regret spending, so if you get the chance to travel, grab it with both hands.
Volunteer/ charity work
Helping others really can make your own life better. If you’re able to, spend time giving back to those less fortunate. You could volunteer an hour a week at a soup kitchen, nursing home or women’s refuge. You could look into important issues like why education matters, and what can be done in communities overseas to improve quality of life? From there you can work with charities who are working to make these happen. Even without money to donate, you can make a genuine difference by spending time helping good causes.
De-clutter your life
Most of us have a strange attachment to ‘stuff’- and more often than not, it’s stuff that we don’t even need or use. We keep things in our home ‘just in case’, we hoard items we never use and find it hard to let go of them. But it’s good to, de-cluttering our lives from the items we don’t need frees up space for the things we love. Go through your home, your car, your handbag and your desk, throw away (or give away) anything you don’t need and organize what’s left. You’ll feel much more on top of your life, it’s easier to put everything away and find them again when you need them. It can be a big job, but after that initial de-clutter make the effort to go through things every few months to stay on top of it. It can be quite freeing to let go of items that serve no purpose to you and don’t bring you joy.
Consider your career
We spend so much of our lives at work, that if you’re not happy here then these feelings of discontentment and frustration will seep into your everyday life. Maybe you’re still in a job you only ever intended to be a stop gap, perhaps you’re in a dead end role or maybe you’ve changed as a person and your career no longer suits you. If any of these things ring true, it’s time to start thinking about making the switch. You might first need to go back into education and gain qualifications. You might need to do some voluntary work in the field, or it could mean taking a big pay cut by taking on a roll at the bottom of the new career ladder- so you can work your way back up. You might even decide to start your own business and work for yourself. It’s a bold move to make, giving up your stability and wages to do something new, but it could be one of the best things you’ve ever done.
Spend time socializing
Friends and family are so important in life, but many of us don’t see loved ones as often as we want. Much of the time it’s a priority issue, so start working yours out. Instead of that overtime at work, could you meet your family? Instead of binge watching that show on Netflix, could you invite friends around? It’s hard in adulthood as everyone is busy with packed schedules but when you’re able to socialize with old friends or new, take up the chance.
Invest in yourself
Finally, it’s always worth investing in yourself. Many of us are good at putting others first- our partners, children and other family members. We’re not so good at realizing that we’re deserving too. Treat yourself to new clothes, a nice haircut, a piece of jewellery or something you’ve really been coveting every now and again. Learn new skills, take up driving lessons, start a class or hobby and don’t feel bad about spending this money on yourself!
