Over the past year, I’ve put a lot of work into personal development and building positive habits. I realized a while ago that if I wasn’t happy then that was my problem to deal with. Because for too long, I had relied on others to bring happiness to my life. And when you rely solely on others to bring joy into your life, that means you tend to accept all the other things they bring to your life as well. And those other things may not be so positive.
So I made it my mission to learn how to foster my own happiness without having to rely on others. And while I still have a long way to go, I’m working hard on letting joy come from within. In doing all this, I’ve adopted a few habits that have completely changed the way I approach life. And overall, I think these habits have simply made me a better person so I want to share them with you!
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Positive Habits = Positive Mindset
Adopting positive habits, even when you don’t necessarily feel all that positive, will help to change your overall mindset. And having a positive mindset is what will give you success in so many areas of your life. A positive mindset will take you from “the world is weighing me down”, to “I can take on the world!”.
Adopting new habits that are positive and healthy is such a great form of personal development. And personal development is what is going to have you leveling up in life. And we all want to level-up!
Here are my 5 favorite habits that have completely changed my life:
Do Everything Early
And I mean everything! From going to bed early to waking up early to showing up early, I am always going to be early. I started going to bed early about a year ago and it’s changed everything about how I function. I’m now more productive, I’m less anxious, and I’m more focused. Research suggests that early risers tend to be happier and lead more productive lives. And I completely agree!
At first, going to bed early felt strange, especially during the months where I was going to bed while the sun was still up. But I quickly realized that having that “me time” that I used to have in the evenings is much better spent in the early morning hours. I’m way more productive, energetic and creative when my brain is rested as opposed to trying to get things done late at night when I’m tired.
Other benefits of being an early riser are:
- Time to workout
- Eat breakfast
- Beat traffic
- Few distractions
- Get more done
Showing up early to meetings, appointments or even just coffee with a friend will have you feeling more relaxed, more productive, less stressed, and in control. It can also give you time to prepare or decompress should you need to. Also, people who show up early tend to get noticed which is always a good thing.
Try showing up 10-15 minutes early for things from now on and see how positive change it creates.
Exercise Regularly
Taking the time each day to exercise has been life-changing for me. I know I’m not sharing anything earth-shattering but making the choice to work out most days of the week has been a gift. It has given me so much confidence and has added so much to my life. Taking that time each day to work on me, to focus and push has had such a positive influence on all other aspects of my world. I know it’s hard, but it’s because it is hard that it is worth it. The top benefits of regular exercise are:
- weight management
- more energy
- improve brain health and memory
- better sleep
- muscle and bone health
- reduce the risk of heart disease
- feel happier
- reduce stress
- improved sex life
These benefits all contribute to a higher quality of life. Incorporating regular exercise into my life has been one of the best positive habits I’ve adopted.
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Go Outside
Taking the time to go outside, even just for 15 minutes, is a positive habit that has been scientifically proven to have huge benefits. Going outdoors does many things for your health but one of my favorite side effects is mental clarity. Walking around outside helps to restore mental alertness and get your brain back into gear. This effect even works just by looking at pictures of nature! How cool is that?
Taking some time just to be outside each day has been a life-changing habit for me. That time helps to clear my head, ease any anxieties, allows me to destress, and simply take a moment to breathe. Overall, this habit has helped to make me a much calmer person.
Taking the time to go outside reduces stress, inflammation, improves concentration, and boosts the immune system. This is an easy habit to adopt that has immediate positive effects. It might seem small, but taking the time daily to connect with the outdoors, even if it’s just in your own backyard, will truly improve your life.
Read and Listen
When I started focusing on personal development and developing more positive habits one of the first things I did was read, read, and read some more. Reading and constantly educating myself on self-improvement has been beyond life-changing. Nowadays, I regularly read books on personal development, listen to podcasts about manifestation, confidence, and the law of attraction, and talk with others who are on similar journeys.
Taking 15 minutes each day to read or listen about personal development is a simple habit that will cause huge positive changes in your life. It will inspire daily confidence, gratitude, and empower you to manifest your dreams. Each morning I listen to podcasts like Manifestation Babe, Candid Confidence, and the Rich Roll podcasts to start my day on the right foot and put me in the right headspace for a positive and productive day.
I also make sure to always be reading about personal development. Some of my current favorite books are:
Use Daily Affirmations
I started using daily affirmations several months ago. Affirmations are positive statements that help to challenge limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns. Initially, I started using affirmations to help ease anxieties. I would find an affirmation that worked for how I was feeling at the moment and I would repeat it until I felt calm. For example, one of my favorites when I’m excessively worrying is: life is easy and things work out. And what’s funny is telling myself over and over that life was easy, made it so much easier to deal with whatever was thrown my way that day.
Nowadays, I use affirmations to set the tone for my day and to help me focus on what I accomplish for myself. Affirmations help to shape the reality that we want for ourselves. Because as they say, what you think you become. Here are some of my favorite affirmations:
- I am worthy of an abundant life.
- Life is easy and things work out.
- I have the power to control my thoughts.
- Stress is fear and I release all fear.
- I am letting go of what no longer serves me.
- I am responsible for my own happiness and no one else’s.
- Money flows to me.
- I am enough.
- I have everything I need to have a good day.
- Fear is a choice, courage is also a choice.
- I can do anything but not everything.
- I am exactly where I need to be.
Share your own affirmations in the comments!
Which positive habits are you adopting?
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Love your quick insightful posts.
Thank you so much for reading!