Ever felt down in the dumps, absolutely sure that you wanted to transform your life but no idea where to start? All of us have some time or the other stood at that intersection at some point in life.
It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to take a giant leap forward only to stumble backward.
I am sharing, here, a list of some of my experienced and tried small changes that I personally made in my life and attitude which actually helped me and I hope that these may help you, as well.
Less Anger, More Understanding. When we can understand why the other person acts the way they do, whether they are three years old or thirty, the need to yell and anger automatically starts to diminish.
Less Complaining, More Gratitude. When we look at all the wonderful things in life, the things that don’t go well start to seem trivial.
Less Blame, More Guidance. When we get hurt, it is instinctive to want to make the other person ‘pay’, but if we can guide the person to fix the situation, things are more likely to get better sooner.
Less Judgment, More Wonder. We are all unique, different, and a wee bit crazy in our own way. The best way to counter the urge to be judgmental is to cultivate a sense of wonder at each person’s uniqueness.
Less Resistance, More Acceptance. The more we resist something, the more it persists. The more we accept it, the less it bothers us.
Less Shame, More Vulnerability. Shame is a deep-seated fear that we are not enough. Yet, it’s a fact that none of us is perfect. When we accept the imperfection and embrace it, the tight grip of shame starts to loosen up.
Less Fear, More Action. We cannot reason with fear, especially the irrational one that stays in the head. The best way to make change happen is to take action and keep moving forward.
Less Comparison, More Contentment. Our life seems like a drag when we compare our “behind-the-scenes” with the highlight reel of someone else’s life. Focusing on contentment kills the need to try to keep up with the Joneses.
Less Will Power, More Habits. It’s scientifically proven that we have a limited supply of will power, and the more we exert it, the less we have for future use. So whenever possible, turn things into habit, limiting the need to use will power.
Less Guilt, More Communication. We all make mistakes. Communicating how badly we feel and figuring out how to fix things will keep guilt from gnawing away at our happiness.
Less Obsessing, More Balance. Embrace all shades between black or white, and the need to obsess on the extremes starts to shrink. Particularly helpful for recovering perfectionists like me!
Less Competition, More Cooperation. Come at things from a place of abundance and seek intentionally to cooperate, and the fear of competition starts to melt right away.
Less Stress, More Fun. If there is one thing we can learn from kids, it is to have fun. Ever notice how few kids are actually stressed?
Less Greed, More Generosity. Finding joy in giving is the perfect antidote for the habitual greed.
Less Distraction, More Rest. Seriously, make getting a fixed number of hours of sleep each night a priority, and distractions like social media and television will automatically stop killing productivity.
Less Bitterness, More Forgiveness. Bitterness only hurts the person carrying it. Forgive those who hurt us and move on.
Less Control, More Flow. Some things are simply out of our control. Learning to go with the flow helps tone down the urge to control.
Less Stubbornness, More Openness. What if we are wrong some times? Being open to accepting failure and constantly learning makes life so much simpler and beautiful.
Less Expectation, More Patience. Start small by delaying gratification with little things. As we learn to be more patient, our expectations of how/when things should turn out start to relax as well.
Less Ego, More Humility. Easier said than done, but the more easily we can say “sorry” and “thank you” (and really mean it), the less hold ego has on our life.
Hoping that these small changes that you would make (some would already be exercising most of these principles) in your daily lives would surely help you in a life overhaul for a better and healthy living.
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