5 Things You Must Do to Change Your Life
If you’re my age (I’m not too old btw), tell me what was the first thing you did when you woke up in the morning 20 years ago? What were your first thoughts before reaching to your phone and sinking in the world of social media? Who were you before all this technology occupied your life?
We’re missing a crucial point here. Technology was invented to facilitate our lives not to control us. We beings are designed to dominate the world with our own brains. I’m not sure why, when, and how this artificial brain managed to invade our minds instead. The irony is that we’re celebrating this raid.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m attached to technology and social media just like you are. But I have decided to manage the time I spend on it and not to allow it to take control over my own life.
I’m very aware of the fact that many other people tapped into this topic before. But since I too was caught up in this synthetic world, I thought of sharing my new approach, which positively impacted my life. It’s what revived me. And while I’m still work in progress, I’m confident that I will have a better more promising future. You can too.
At some point in my life, I realized that I was literally becoming like a machine. A robot with a heart. I reached to a point I was struggling both mentally and physically. I was a bundle of negative energy wandering around. I was crushing myself without knowing it. This is what my doctor called “silent depression”, and this was what started causing my anxiety and panic attacks. I was prescribed antidepressant pills, but they began to control of my life…
One day I woke up and decided that I’ve had enough! I grasped that my body, mind, and soul are what really matter to me and what should be my priority. I had to do something about it. I could no longer allow this negativity and stress to shape up my life. I had to regain control. So, I quit my stressful job and began my quest towards self-maintenance.
You can argue with me all day long that my below practice isn’t helpful or is a waste of time. I respect your right to have a different opinion. After all, it is a personal choice for you to make. I cannot blame or judge you. I was like you. But I know now that I was wrong. I was missing on the true purpose of my life. My new morning rituals, my changed habits, my different mindset are all an essential part of who I am. They’re by far the best gifts granted to me in an exceptionally long time.
Before I start, I would like to point out that, the few minutes before going to bed at night are crucial as well. I make it a point not to check my phone or any social media platforms. I, instead, think of positive matters or pray for a few minutes. You cannot imagine the difference this made to my sleeping patterns.
Ok, let’s dive in:
1- Gratitude
“Gratitude is strength”. You can build it the same way you build your body muscles in the gym. You can develop it through practice.
When we open our eyes in the morning, we’re inevitably granted a valuable gift every single day. How is this not a blessing to start off the day with. We cannot just take this blessing for granted. Instead, we ought to acknowledge it.
Gratitude helped me appreciate that I was granted things that many others lack. Its power truly created change in my life.
Look around you, count the endless blessings in your life no matter how small they are. Feel and practice gratitude.
2- Positive Thinking
I was the kind of person who worries a lot. I would wake up to my negative thoughts until I realized that I was no victim in this world. I can actually be the master of my thoughts and I can in fact, invite positive thoughts to my mind the same way I invited the negative ones.
What you can do is start streaming positive thoughts into your mind. Start your day with “I can do it” attitude. Positive thinking shifts your perspectives. It is crucial to begin your day on a good note.
If I were able to erase yesterday and draw the facts of tomorrow, everything would have been perfect for me. But realistically I cannot. So, I know that I cannot waste my precious time dwelling in the wrong places and that I should start focusing on today, on the now. That’s the only time I can control and that’s the only time I can do what I want with my life.
Start on a positive note. Let go of what you cannot control and focus on what you can. Leave out the impossible and start with the possible. Be realistic. Positive thinking paves your way into a better life.
3- Affirmations
I noticed that I was living my life waiting for acknowledgements from people around me until I fathomed that I was living their lives not mine! Remind me again…. who were they to judge me and who were they to decide who I am or who I should become? I could provide those people with a mirror as a tool for self-reflection and a reminder to stop judging others.
No one is better than you. No two people are alike. Each has their own traits, faults, gifts, and talents.
Remind yourself that you’re unique in your own way and that you’re who you choose to be. The most powerful two words known to man are “I Am”. Add positive affirmations to your daily morning routine using those two words. Gradually, life does change for you and you will create the “you”, you want.
4- Meditation
My subconscious mind is my greatest enemy. Who is yours?
Don’t tell me that meditation isn’t for you. That was my verdict! I was always against the idea, I made fun of it, and I was certain that I cannot get rid of the voices inside my heads. I simply couldn’t focus. Well guess what? It turns out I was totally mistaken… Meditation did help me go through my day and eventually my days during rough times in my life. Ironically, I miss it now when I do not practice it.
Start your day with 5–10 minutes meditation in the morning and with time it will get better and better until you reach your goal, which is ultimately, peace of mind.
5- Journaling
And who has time to journal? That’s what I thought. But I came to know that to better my life, I had to alter my thoughts and release my feelings. And one of the most important habits that I introduced to my life, is journaling.
Your journal is your life story.
Your journal is your best friend. No judgement. No expectation. It enriches your life.
How can you journal?
Start with listing down your blessings. Scribble down a few every day. Remarkably, this inspires a premeditated gratitude.
Journaling releases your negative thoughts and helps you manage your ideas. It shows you how to forgive and how to forget adverse events. It allows you to go over and revive your best experiences and gives you confidence. Journaling simply inspires you.
Jot down your real feelings, your true emotions, your thoughts, your plans, and your passions. No matter who you are and what you do, you will be amazed of how it allows you to record your extraordinary life.
In summary, before you plunge into in the world of technology when you open your eyes in the morning, connect with your thoughts, think of your body, and nourish your soul first.
All I ask is for you to give it a try. To shift your mindset. To commit and see how things unfold for you.
You may think that work and other life issues are the end of the world. What really ends your world is your negativity and your concealed destructive approach towards life.
A very good friend of mine died in a horrible accident a few years ago… her death taught me that work never stops, it proved that life goes on, and it confirmed that everyone eventually carries on with their lives. All I’m trying to remind you of, is that life goes on with or without you. So why live it as if you’re dead and why don’t you enjoy all the good things it is has to offer you.
Life’s comforts are added gifts and its hardships are just games and tests. Life is too short to be missed. Life is a blessing. Let’s make the best out of it.
Let’s revert to being human beings. Let’s breathe proper air into our lungs while it’s still available. Let’s enjoy our times with each other, with our loved ones and even with ourselves. Let’s honor and value this gift given to us, the gift of living.
Wake up each day on an upbeat note. Be grateful. Be thankful. Be optimistic. Clear your mind. The rest will follow.
