Rather than being overwhelmed by drastic steps, focus on small changes that are so simple
you can implement them immediately! Entire libraries are overflowing with self-help
books about how to be the next Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. In reality, you don’t need
to flip your life upside down to see a difference. Today, we’re bringing you how to be successful
and happy without making radical changes to your life!
WAKE UP HALF AN HOUR EARLIER Is half an hour really enough to make that
much of a difference? The answer is a resounding “yes!” Most successful people swear that
waking up early pushes them to be more efficient. While you don’t have to rise at dawn like
Apple CEO Tim Cook, getting up half an hour early will make a difference. You can use
this extra time to do whatever you want. Whether you put in some exercise, make a healthy
breakfast, read, meditate, spend time with your family, or work on something you are
passionate about, you can accomplish something. If nothing else, those extra 30 minutes will
save you from rushing every morning, forgetting your keys, and foregoing breakfast to get
to work on time. CLEAN UP IMMEDIATELY
These are just baby steps, remember? Feeling overwhelmed by chores can weigh you down more
than anything else. How long does it really take to wash your dishes immediately? Make
your bed? It won’t be over five minutes. However, if you ignore these chores, these
seemingly small tasks turn into a mountain. Before you know it, you’ll have a messy
house and a sink full of smelly dishes that are going to take way longer. Save yourself
the headache and make more time for more productive tasks by immediately acting.
Those who make their beds every morning and clean up after themselves tend to be not only
happier but also more successful since the immediate act makes them feel accomplished.
Without all that clutter, both in their home and mind, they gain a sense of control.
FORGET ABOUT BEING A PERFECTIONIST Wasn’t it Tolstoy who said, “If you look
for perfection, you’ll never be content”? Guarantee your own happiness by forgetting
about perfection. Once you realize that there is no such thing as perfect, life suddenly
becomes more manageable. When you understand that making mistakes is a part of life, you’ll
feel at peace. Challenging your perfectionist mindset may
be the action you need to take to be more successful because you stop fearing failure
and start taking chances. Then, you learn from your mistakes after acknowledging them.
DON’T OVERCOMMIT The opposite of making drastic changes is
committing less to things. The next step on your road to being content is to avoid
overcommitting. When it comes to self-help advice, most people
recommend setting plenty of goals. At first, the excitement drives you, but to avoid giving
up on these goals, it’s easier to commit to a limited amount. Once you follow through
successfully, then you can move on to more ambitious goals. For now, start small and
work your way up. Think of it this way! Should you commit to
running a marathon if you haven’t exercised first? If you have to start with five to ten
pushups a day or even just taking a calm walk down your street after dinner, then so be
it! ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR LOSSES AND MOVE ON
This is more of a mental hurdle that you must climb over to reach success.
No one reaches the astronomical heights of success without failure. It might appear to
be the opposite, but that’s because these failures aren’t very public. Therefore,
we believe successful people woke up one day, chose success, and went and got it.
What makes the difference between successful people and others is that they are people
who never gave up. They do two very important things, and that is to never let failure get
to their hearts and never let success get to their heads.
Acknowledging your losses and failures allows you to gain the wisdom to act better when
presented with new opportunities. LET GO OF OLD GRUDGES
Your life and that burden you carry around every day can be drastically lessened by the
mere act of letting go of old grudges and forgiving those who have hurt you in the past.
Accept that these people, the ones who have brought negativity into your life, cannot
undo their actions. They can only be forgiven, not forgotten. Turn that grudge into a lesson
and then move on. Next, take that lesson and make sure that
the people who surround you support you and encourage you become the best version of yourself.
STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS The key to achieving happiness and success?
Stop comparing your life and accomplishments to others. There is this idea that other people
have better and easier lives than yours, and thinking this way is a quick route to being
unhappy. What you think is their reality are just surface-level
observations. And you’re comparing your reality to what their surface looks like. The next
time you envy someone’s success, remember that this person has likely struggled with
more hardships than you can imagine. Losing sleep over what other people have and
you don’t is pointless. You can find relief by accepting that there is always going to
be someone who seemingly has things better with a higher-paying job, a faster car, a
bigger house, et cetera. What should you do? Start defining success
on your own terms. That person who has a higher paying job may be wasting away their lives
in the office, while you have a flexible schedule. REPROGRAM YOUR MINDSET
Your success is linked to your mindset, and your happiness is directly related to your
thoughts. A lot of negativity surrounds us. We can overcome these grim feelings that often
overtake us. You can reprogram your mind to stay positive.
That doesn’t mean living in denial or ignoring every negative thought, but empowering yourself
and taking charge. Take charge by surrounding yourself with people
who constantly lift your spirits. Take charge by creating positive affirmations for yourself
and applauding the progress you make. Take charge by being grateful and writing everything
you’re thankful for instead of stressing over what you don’t have.
In fact, keeping a gratitude journal is incredibly empowering. When you often speak about what
you’re grateful for, your energy increases, and so does your enthusiasm, alertness, determination,
and even quality and duration of sleep. TACKLE THAT ONE THING YOU’VE BEEN IGNORING
Just one thing that you need to do. That’s all. The next step towards achieving that
dream life is tackling what you have been putting off forever.
Whether it’s a report you’ve been delaying for a week, a phone call to your insurance
company, cleaning up your office—just like the dishes we mentioned earlier—you’re
lifting a heavy weight that’s keeping you from being productive.
You’ll be surprised at how much more productive you are and how better you feel once that
looming weight is off. EXPLORE THE EDGE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
People advise you to take an ambitious leap out of your comfort zone, when the key is
finding success at the edge of it. Without a doubt, we need change to be happy.
That’s just human nature. While there is no need to skydive or do anything drastic,
do something new—even if it’s just once a week.
OVERCOME A BAD HABIT Just like that one task you’ve been putting
off, it takes defeating one bad habit to make a difference. Everyone has bad habits that
hold us down. Regardless of how big or small it is, try changing just one of them.
This is a gateway towards skyrocketing your confidence levels and seeing how resilient
your willpower is. If you can change one bad habit, then what’s stopping you from tackling
the others?