Guest post contributed by Alex Berger of The Berger Bungalow, and sponsored by ★Star City Services★.
Just the other day, I read this quote:
“Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change. Love deeply and forgive quickly. Take chances. Give everything and have no regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy. You have to take the good with the bad, smile when you should, love what you got and always remember what you had. Always forgive but never forget. Learn from your mistakes but never regret. People change and things go wrong. But always remember life goes on.”
Anonymous
It is so easy to go through the motions of life, instead of really soaking it in and making the most of each day. Long workdays can revolve around many things that we do not want to do. But if we push past these thoughts of negativity, we can find many beautiful things in our day (and life) that we might not have seen otherwise.
If you think about it, on average, right around ⅓ of our lives are spent at work, so do we want ⅓ of our lives to be negative? Definitely not! This is why I think it is so important to focus on the positive and make the most out of every day. If you agree with me, keep following along and we will discuss how to do this with these simple tricks!
Wake Up Early
“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”
Aristotle
I know rising earlier than you have to sounds pretty painful, but once you get in a routine, it’s really not so bad. I’ve found that my days are much better when I wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier than I need to, in order to have a slow morning. Do a few morning stretches to get your blood flowing, drink a glass of water, make yourself breakfast, and write down a few things that you are grateful for. Of course, a mindful morning can look different for each individual – if you don’t want to stretch, maybe do a few jumping jacks, or take a walk. If a daily gratitude practice isn’t really your thing, find some other way to be intentional with your time, ensuring that you are starting the day on a positive note. For tips on how to start waking up earlier while still feeling refreshed, check out this article. For more ideas on how to transform your morning into a time of peace rather than chaos, check out this video.
“Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon. But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being. So being the proactive goal-achiever I was, I set out to become a habitual early riser.”
Steve Pavlina
Exercise
No matter if you exercise in the morning, in the middle of the day, or in the evenings, it will definitely improve your day. There are many benefits to getting in a workout each day, such as promoting healthy eating, weight loss, and an overall healthy lifestyle, as well as feeling greater satisfaction in your life, and feeling more confident in yourself. There are many other advantages to working out, but these reasons alone are enough for me! Feeling satisfied and confident will help you go into each day with a great mindset. For sure-fire tips to convince yourself to exercise, even when you don’t want to, check out this article.
A Healthy Mindset
Let’s dive deeper into what I mean by having a healthy mindset. We already know that working out can help with creating a positive state of mind, but that’s definitely not all that goes into it. Quite a few people struggle with different conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma, just to name a few. In these cases, simple measures such as working out or just thinking positively will not help them achieve a completely healthy psyche.
If you are struggling with any of these issues, there is a way to get help, in order for you to thrive and feel good each day. Talk with a counselor, consult with your doctor about medication or supplements, or be open and transparent with a friend or family member about what you’re going through. Seeking professional help and calling on your support system can significantly boost your emotional reserves when dealing with mental pain. (For more, check out Diana’s video on dealing with depression here.)
Love Where You Live
In order to make the most out of every day, I believe that you truly need to love where you live. You might be thinking, “Well, what if you don’t love where you live?” The answer? MOVE. I know that I’m making it seem a lot easier than it really is, but truly – if you don’t like something in your life, change it. Take risks, make changes, flourish. When you do move, find a home that you love and find an area that you enjoy. You deserve to love where you live.
Hate the process of moving? Just make sure you create a great team, in order to reduce stress on your part. Hire a great agent that knows how to negotiate, hire a cleaner for the old and new home, and get a wonderful moving team to make your life easier. A great example of this is our sponsor, ★Star City Services★. They are long distance movers based in Roanoke and also do residential moving, commercial moving, labor only, specialty moving, storage, unpacking and packing, and more. They offer fast and efficient services, competitive pricing, and they have 4 years of experience, with great reviews, to back up their work.
Relax and Prepare
After a long day, take time to relax and prepare for the next day. Relaxing and giving yourself much needed time for self-care is essential. It’s both difficult and detrimental to be constantly running from one thing to the next without any downtime. We also need time to unwind at the end of the day, to ensure a good night’s sleep. I also find that if you prepare for the next day (the night before), it will help you save time and frustration in the morning. Lay out your clothes, tidy up the house and kitchen, and you’ll thank yourself the next day!
Do you have any other tips to help make the most out of every day? We only have a short time on this Earth and I believe that we need to live every single moment to the fullest – even on the hardest days!
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Cover image photo credit: IStockPhoto.com/NataliaDeriabina
