01. Clean out your Facebook. Seriously. Take some time to go through your friends list and delete some of those people who really don't need to be on there. (if they still don't have a profile photo that should be an automatic deletion!) Oh and delete those old horrid pictures, I promise someday you will be older and more mature and you will regret those photos.. I'll admit, I still need to do this one.
02. Read more. I cannot stress the importance of reading. If you have children, read to them. If you have siblings, read to them. Read to yourself, read to your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend. Just read! If reading isn't for you, try starting out with something you're interested in such as a magazine, and then work your way to books. Reading is good for your soul, as cliche as it may sound. So read, read, read!
03. Take pride in yourself. Sometimes I understand how hard this is for people to do, and I get that we have way too much on our platters to worry about than ourselves, but I feel that taking time out of our stressful and hectic days to pamper ourselves is much needed and appreciated in the long run. Some things you could do would be to go get a pedicure, randomly. It doesn't have to happen every month, but every now and then treat yourself to a pedicure or manicure. You could even wake up 5 minutes earlier and add a little extra eyeshadow, or tease your hair just a little bigger. When you're nice to yourself, you feel better and more confident, and I promise, confidence shines.
04. Listen to music. It actually doesn't even have to be your favorite, but just something you like or really enjoy listening to. Make yourself a cd of songs that just make you happy in general, and try to listen to it on your way to work or school or whenever you're driving, & it's okay if you catch yourself belting out a few high pitches here and there, singing is beautiful! (Note: You can use youtube converter to download pretty much any music on the internet)
05. Compliment your better half. If you don't have a significant other, you can just skip this step, but for those who do, seriously let them know how much you appreciate them. Try to make room in your day to compliment them as much as possible. I once took a college course on how our brain functions and works properly and in order for a person to feel good about themselves and happy, they need to hear a total of at least 12 compliments a day. I know that sounds like a lot, but when you think of simple compliments such as "thanks so much for doing this today, I really appreciate that" or "I really like your shirt," or "you smell good" etc. Those compliments go a long way. I wake up everyday and make sure to automatically tell my husband that I love him. It not only makes them feel good, but it makes them want to compliment you more as well, and it improves your relationship by so much. When you're too busy being thankful for them, then you don't have as much time to argue or pick fights with them.
06. Stay healthy. This is a very broad type of goal to set for yourself and it can mean several different things such as making sure to wash your hands more often, take more vitamins, exercising more, or eating better. I know this is also a hard goal to set for yourself seeing as we are such busy people, we don't have time to eat right or exercise everyday & I think that's okay, but let's try a little harder! Cut your take out to weekends only, or one day a week if at all possible. If you go to school try packing your lunch instead of buying it out. Exercise: This is my downfall as well, but sometimes you just have to be head strong and convince yourself to do it. Start small:
10 sit-ups
5 crunches
4 push-ups
8 mountain climbers
15 squats
I promise you that doing something this simple will still make your abs and legs burn, and if you start off small you can increase the amount that you do each day (This came from the 30-day fitness challenge for 2014 - I have already started & I love it)
07. Put your phone down. It's okay to check facebook/twitter/instagram everyday, I mean we're all guilty of it, but how about not as much? Instead of checking your phone every hour, try every 3-5 hours. You'll be surprised of the other things you'll get done when you aren't occupied in the internet.
08. Monitor your money. I love my January 2014 edition of Cosmopolitan and they explain our money situation perfectly. 50/20/30. Use 50% of your money to what's important; bills, car, house, etc. Use 20% for savings, you never know when you'll have a flat tire that can't be patched and you have no other option than to buy a new one & we all know how expensive those dang things can be. Last use 30% for yourself! 30%, yes, that's quite a bit too. That means you can buy those gorgeous leggings and not feel guilty about it. Managing your money is so important. Know how much you have, sit down and write it all out. Write down how much you make in a month and where it all goes. If you haven't already signed up through your bank online - DO IT NOW! My online bank account is a life saver; I can look online and see every purchase that I've made, almost ever. So get on that and get to figuring out your finances.
09. Sleep more. Almost impossible, I know. Start setting yourself a bedtime, and a time to get up. Even on your off days, still set your alarm. It's good to get your body in a ritual. You don't have to set it for the same early time, but don't oversleep. Sleeping too much can be just as rough on your body as not enough sleep. Weird, I know, but it's true.
and last...
10. Smile more. Smiling not only makes you happier, but everyone else around you happy as well. Smiles are contagious. This could mean a number of things, such as apologizing to someone who you need to apologize to, or forgiving someone in your past that you need to forgive, or letting go of those nagging demons that have been following you around the past couple years. When you have finally decided that you are ready to be happy, then start smiling. You will feel a difference in your body, mind, and soul in no time.
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