Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about 4 little habits that will change your life.
Now, let’s begin.
1.
Practicing Minimalism You can change your life by changing your
environment.
Whether you have an apartment or a home… whether you live with roommates, a partner,
or by yourself… your living space is an essential part of your lifestyle, your mental
health, and your productivity.
Let’s say your living space is messy and cluttered.
You don’t like where you live.
You don’t feel comfortable where you live, and you don’t spend much time taking care
of your space.
How does an environment like this affect the rest of your life?
A disorganized space creates mental clutter, indecisiveness, and unnecessary stress.
If your space is packed with things that you don’t like or need, it may create cloudiness
and anxiety, which stems from almost any cluttered environment.
Most importantly, if you don’t like where you live, you’re never going to truly relax
in your own space.
You won’t be able to rest and unwind.
All that clutter will fester in the back of your mind, and that keeps you from feeling
your best.
My point is… a comfortable, cohesive, and organized living space is the foundation of
a positive lifestyle.
So how do you create a space that accomplishes all those things?
How do you keep your space organized and comfortable without spending hundreds of dollars and hours
of your time?
It’s a lot easier than you think to de-clutter and de-stress your living space.
This one little habit will gradually transform your room, apartment, or house into a comfortable
and supportive environment, which fosters a better version of you.
This one habit comes from a lifestyle philosophy called minimalism.
In this context, minimalism means simplifying the form and function of your environment.
Instead of cramming your room or house full of furniture, trinkets, and items you never
use, minimalism teaches you to reduce the amount of clutter in your life.
How?
By simply prioritizing what you use over what you don’t.
Take a look around your room or your house.
When you look around, you might see a lot of familiar things.
You look at old furniture.
You look at dusty books on your shelves.
You look at untouched trinkets on the mantle.
You see a bunch of things that you know to be yours, but how many of these things do
you use on a regular basis?
How many of these things have been sitting there, collecting dust for months or even
years?
One of the foundational principles of minimalism is this: if you do not use something, get
rid of it right now.
Don’t wait for some golden opportunity.
Don’t justify each thing saying, “well maybe I’ll find a use for it soon.”
Instead, ask yourself, “have I used this thing in the last month?”
If the answer is no, it’s time to go.
Make a daily habit of getting rid of at least one item.
It might be a trinket, a piece of clothing, or even something larger, like a chair or
a bookshelf.
Whatever it is, gradually reduce your life to its core components.
Trim away the fat.
Shed all those extra stressors and find the small group of possessions that are most meaningful
to you.
The sooner you simplify your life, the sooner your lifestyle will begin to change.
2.
Choosing Discomfort Here’s a tiny habit that can change your
life in surprising ways.
When you drive to the store, what’s the first thing you do?
You search the parking lot for a place to park, usually somewhere near the door.
Some people will drive around in circles just to park a few feet closer to the entrance.
But, by parking near the door, you’re actually teaching yourself bad habits.
Parking near the door is like searching for a shortcut.
Even though there are longer, more accessible parking spots available, you’re fighting
for the easiest option.
Why?
To avoid exerting any extra energy.
But what happens when you change your habits?
What if you started parking in the sport furthest from the door?
What happens when you choose to exert more energy, even if you don’t have to?
If you want to change your life with one small habit, start parking at the back of the parking
lot.
Find a spot as far away from the door as you can, because this tiny change in your lifestyle
can have a huge impact on your body, your mindset, and your long-term goals.
First and foremost, parking further away gets you up and moving.
These days, most of the world sits for long periods of time.
You’re sitting at your desk.
You’re lying on your couch.
You’re driving in your car.
It’s a whole lot of sitting and not a lot of physical movement.
By parking further from every store, you can include more movement into your life.
You create more opportunities to get your body moving, your blood pumping, and your
muscles active.
But that’s not the only benefit of parking far away.
By changing where you park, you’re teaching yourself a unique kind of self-discipline.
This is most apparent when the parking lot is empty.
You could park in the closest spot, but you choose to park at the back.
In other words, you could take the easy road; but instead you’re opting into a more difficult
decision.
What does that say about you?
By making this decision, you’re practicing long-term gratification.
You’re teaching yourself to face challenges instead of prioritizing comfort.
This valuable transformation affects the most important aspects of your life.
It teaches you to buckle down and work hard, when it counts.
It teaches you to confront difficult decisions instead of running away.
And that’s a lesson you’ll value for the rest of your life.
3.
Expanding Your Circle How often do you meet new people?
Many of us operate in the same social circles, talking to people we have known for most of
our lives.
You hang out with the same friends.
You hear the same voices and opinions.
You rarely leave the comfort of your social circle, because everyone else—everyone on
the outside—feels like a stranger.
You don’t know them.
You’re not comfortable around them.
So you reign yourself to your own little corner of the world.
But here’s the problem… if you never meet new people, you’ll never know what opportunities
those people might bring.
You’ll never know how a new opinion could shift your perspective; or how a new friend
could change your life.
Meeting new people isn’t about attention or popularity.
It’s good for expanding your horizons.
It’s about opening yourself up to experiences you never would have had otherwise.
Because new people can bring fresh views, ideas, and traditions into your life.
They can open your eyes to things you never saw before.
Make a habit of meeting one new person every week or every month.
Make one new contact.
Connect with one new friend.
Have one conversation you never would have had if you talked to the same people about
the same subjects.
Yes, it’s good to have close friends.
Yes, it’s comforting to fall back on those familiar individuals.
But you should use that familiarity as a safety net.
That way, you can go out into the world and experience people you’ve never met before.
This might sound frightening to you.
It might sound like too much work or too big of a risk, but it’s worth the effort.
Meeting one new person or having one new conversation can change your entire life.
4.
Future Gratification Your life is full of instant gratification.
Online, in stores, and playing games—you’re subject to a wide variety of stimuli that
teach you to take shortcuts and demand immediate rewards.
To make matters worse, many people adopt a destructive motto that keeps them focused
on what’s right in front of them.
That motto is, “live in the present moment.”
Now, this motto isn’t destructive on its own.
It encourages you to appreciate what’s right in front of you, and that is a valuable skill.
But here’s the problem.
If you’re only focused on what’s right in front you, you start prioritizing your
present self over your future self.
You lose sight of what you want in the big picture.
Instead, you only satisfy the person you are now.
If you have big dreams and goals, this approach is not going to help you find success or happiness.
It is valuable to appreciate your experiences in the moment—as they’re happening—
but you should orient your decisions, not toward the past or present, but toward the
future.
Think to yourself, “how does this contribute toward the goals I want to accomplish?”
“How do my current choices affect my vision of the future?”
Get in the habit of asking yourself these questions before making decisions.
Instead of following your immediate impulses, take five seconds to think about your future
self.
Let’s say you’re about to spend hundreds of dollars on a luxury watch.
You could put that money into your savings account, and that money could help you down
the road.
But you really want that watch.
So what do you do?
Spend five seconds asking yourself about the future.
Would your future-self be happy about this purchase?
Is this watch going to improve your life next week?
Next month?
Or even next year?
If the answer is yes, it may be worth the money.
But more often than not, you’ll discover things you think you need are far from necessary.
So appreciate the present, but keep your eyes on the future.
Learn to satisfy your future self.
Practice controlling your immediate wants and prioritizing your long-term dreams.
If you can prioritize those dreams, there’s a much better chance they’ll come true.
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