How To Have a Better Life: 16 Tips That Are Definitely Worth Trying

How To Make Your Life Better and Happier

Want some secrets on how to have a better life?

Me too!

I sincerely wish I had some mind-blowing life secrets to share with you.

But the truth is that real, positive changes or improvements to your life take time and effort.

No secrets or quick fixes or shortcuts are involved.

The idea of a better life can be super overwhelming!

Where the heck do we even start?!

The not knowing where to start can cause us to be like deer in the headlights.

But you know what? A better life is not going to fall right into your lap.

You can’t will the life of your dreams into existence.

So you have to start somewhere. And this is a great place to start.

Grab some pen and paper and let’s dive in.

(pen and paper isn’t a necessity but writing things down has a way of making things stick a little better)

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Here Are 16 Tips on How To Have a Better Life

1) Watch What You Consume

Think about what you are taking in.

And I’m not talking about what you eat or drink. Although that is important too.

What I am talking about is what you take in with your eyes and ears.

You know the first thing that comes to mind when I think about what we consume with our eyes.

Social media!

More specifically, the amount of time we spend on social media.

Now, I love to check my phone just like most people do. And our phones can definitely be a great tool that keeps us connected to the world or just gives us an escape for a little while.

The problem comes up when we are spending WAY TOO MUCH of our time on those pesky devices.

This really comes down to making sure that you are present in your actual life and not just the world inside of that screen!

2) Gratitude

Focus on the good stuff in your life. Sounds easy enough.

Oh, no-no. It is not easy.

Maybe because the challenges we face or not-so-pleasant parts of life will fight to be the center of attention and steal the spotlight.

It is one thing to want to be more grateful but it is another thing to ACTUALLY practice gratitude.

One small thing I highly recommend is writing things down.

Write down what you are grateful for!

This is a really small but perfect thing to add to your mornings or evenings.

Grab a beautiful journal and put it next to your bed. This really helps with keeping up with making gratitude a constant and consistent part of your life.

Sticking with this small but powerful habit can be such a game-changer for the quality of your day-to-day life!

3) Never Stop Learning

Learning and growing are beautiful things.

For me, this is all about books and podcasts. (these books rock!)

Feed your mind in whatever way works for you.

And feed it the good stuff!

**Also, if you want to take it a step further in the learning department, you should check out Coursera. It’s an online learning platform that offers thousands of different courses on basically anything. You can even earn certificates and degrees.

4) What Makes You Feel Good?

Make a list.

OK, now do more of those things.

This does not need to be these huge, extravagant things. I mean, it can if you want it to be.

But think about things you could fit into small pockets of time throughout your day.

Getting up early to enjoy coffee in peace. Reading for a few minutes. Going for a run. Listening to feel-good songs for 10 minutes.

We can all benefit from inserting little bursts of joy into our days.

5) Celebrate

Do you celebrate the small wins in your life? Do you make it a point to acknowledge an accomplishment no matter how tiny it may seem?

We all tend to celebrate what we consider big things. But it can be extremely beneficial to celebrate those little things in our daily life.

Now, I am not saying you need to throw a party for yourself every other day.

But I think we can all benefit from giving ourselves more pats on the back.

6) Patience

Changing your life will take time.

Practicing patience will save your sanity.

Sometimes we get all these ideas in our heads of how to make our lives better. And this can get us really excited and fired up.

I know that’s how I get. Super pumped to upgrade my life.

But then some of us run into a little issue. We implement some positive changes and then expect to see massive results by next Thursday.

Small steps and slow progress is awesome. And really the best route if you want to create lasting results.

But small steps can also start to feel tedious.

It takes a TON of little pebbles to equal the size of a giant boulder.

One day you will look back and be so proud of the version of yourself you are now.

So keep reminding yourself to be patient. And also be consistent. (we will talk more about consistency later)

7) Don’t Look Backwards… or Forwards

Say what?

Yep, you read that right. You can never look in the past or the future.

KIDDING!

What I mean by this is not to LIVE in the past or the future.

The past is not bad. I love to look back on positive memories and experiences.

But choices we have made in our past do not have to define us forever. Past regrets or mistakes have this way of clinging to us for dear life. And it can literally feel like we are being weighed down.

It is crucial to learn from the past and use those lessons in your present.

And it might seem strange to not look forward but hear me out.

I truly love to plan and look ahead. But the problem with that is we can start living a “when” type of lifestyle.

When this happens then I will be satisfied. When I reach this exact goal then happiness will come.

Pretty soon it is as if you are chasing happiness but never quite catching it.

Make sure to enjoy the now. Focus on all the possibilities that today has to offer.

8) Take the Good With the Bad

Life can (and will) be BLAH sometimes.

Every day is not going to be this magical ride you can’t get enough of.

Some days we all have had enough and are ready to close our eyes and start a new day.

That’s OK!

Creating a better life is not about blocking out anything seen as negative.

Acknowledging challenges is the only way to navigate your way through to the other side.

Putting on a happy face and masking the way you really feel never helped anyone.

9) Hold Yourself To a High Standard

This is all about holding yourself accountable.

No one is going to change your life for you.

The more you take pride in the choices and changes you want to make, the more progress you will make.

You deserve all the best. So treat yourself accordingly.

10) Claim Your Control

You are in control of your life. Even when it doesn’t feel that way.

And even when you feel powerless, there are always choices available to you.

Even if the choice just lies in how you choose to react or respond to a situation.

I know I am constantly working on this aspect of my life. I tend to default to using other people or circumstances as a way out or an excuse.

And yes, other people and circumstances do obviously impact our lives.

But it always helps to take a step back and find your control or voice in a situation.

11) Keep Track

What does having a better life mean to you?

Write this down!

Write down things you want to accomplish today or this month or in the next year.

This is perfect if you are the type of person that needs some visual reassurance (like me).

And if you write things down then you can not only keep track of things but also look back on things.

A planner is a great tool to use for this!

12) Baby Steps

What is one thing you could do right now that would help you achieve a goal? Or one thing that would bring you joy?

I know you can come up with one tiny thing. This can be as simple as turning on a song that you know puts a smile on your face.

Baby steps are crucial to life improvement.

13) It’s All About You

Do you want to know how to make something stick? Do it for yourself.

Yes, you can want to do things for other people in your life as well. Wanting to give the best version of yourself to those around you is awesome.

But the basis for the change has to be personal.

14) Declutter and Purge

Clutter creates chaos.

My guess is that a majority of people have things they could part with.

And this is not just material things.

I know one thing that gets out of control in my life is my email! I mean, I think I get about 12 emails a day just from my daughter’s school.

Over the past few years, I have started to seriously implement the “less is more” mentality.

And my life (as well as the lives of my little family) has benefited in so many ways.

Take a minute and think about any areas of your life (or your home) that could benefit with a little purging and scaling back.

15) Be Consistent

Consistency is so dang important.

But it can also be tricky at times.

It takes real discipline to be consistent.

We will all get derailed at some point or another. That’s life.

Make the choices to get back on track.

And don’t confuse consistency with perfection!

You are very capable of being consistent. No one is capable of perfection.

16) Take Care of Yourself

Take a good hard look at your habits. And get back to the basics.

Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? Do you make time to move your body?

When is the last time you enjoyed some fresh air?

How much time are you spending on your phone? (remember what we talked about earlier)

Have you spent any time with friends or family recently? We need social interaction!

Many times, really looking at and answering these simple but powerful questions can get some changes rolling.

Show up for yourself. Show up for your life. And the changes follow.

Remember this one last thing.

You are the turtle. Slow and steady wins the race.

Have any tips on how to have a better life? Please share!

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