6. Get the right friends & mentors
The sad truth is, that unless you are deliberate about it, certain people in your life are not good for you.
It’s sometimes very hard to tell, because they really do have your best intentions in mind. And sometimes they may react negatively when you try to create a better environment for yourself. But the people around you have a huge influence on your life – do they give you the space to choose your own destiny? (the previous point) do they accept your imperfections? Do they have a positive presence in your life? If not, move on.
Taking this to the next level, I have grown tremendously by having at least one person in my life who I go to regularly to get perspective, insight, and unconditional acceptance. This could be a therapist, life coach, or close friend. But see someone regularly, whether you are doing great or feeling terrible. The positive impact is cumulative.
7. Never stop learning
I happen to be very passionate about learning. And one of my interests is actually personal growth, so I’ve read a lot of books on the subject. Certain books, like the 4 Hour Workweek, The Power of Now, or The 7 Habits, have made a huge impact on my life and inspired me to create a unique reality for myself.
I recommend identifying the fields you are most interested in learning about – no matter how esoteric, and finding the best way you like to learn: reading, listening, watching, discussing – and devoting some time each week to actually engaging in it. There is something magical about learning something new, give that to yourself.
8. Meditate & Observe the world
I am a huge fan of meditation. It’s the single most transformative practice I engage in. It helped me overcome my anxiety, internalize ideas and create rapid transformation in my life, visualize and manifest better realities for myself – and it’s just a great state to be in.
Meditation alters your state of mind to a more subconscious, spontaneous, intuitive reality – a blessed counterbalance to our overworked, overthinking conscious mind. Even just 2 minutes a day of meditation can do wonders for you, and with the help of a guided meditation, this can be very easy to do regardless of how much experience you have. So start now.
Meditation simply means to observe. So regardless of whether you are officially “meditating”, taking note throughout the day of what you are feeling, or what is going on around you, is also a very positive practice.
9. Exercise + Yoga
I happen to be very high energy, and I also love running. But I see a huge difference in my day if I make some time to exercise a couple times of week. Stephen Covey speaks about the control you feel as you exercise your will over your body – aside from the physical benefits and released endorphins, this is also a very powerful idea that I try to keep in mind when I work out.
Yoga has been my most recent addition to my list. I taught myself a few simple moves that were meant to promote a feeling of wellbeing. Nothing to complicated, no wrapping my foot around the back of my neck. But I find that it helps me release stress and negative energy in a way that exercise doesn’t. And since a big component of yoga is meditation, I found it helped me integrate meditation into movement and my daily life – since I was practicing it in a variety of positions, not just sitting still in a comfy chair.
There you have it. I probably have a few more insights up my sleeve, but I can’t think of them right now. I hope you resonate with at least one of these points, and are inspired to bring it into your own life in a way that is right for you.
