8 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life

Must-Read Ways To Instantly Improve Your Life

Ready to talk about some simple ways to improve your life?

Of course! That’s why you are here.

Life. (picture saying this along with one of those dramatic sighs)

I’m not sure that simple would be the first word that comes to mind when I think about life.

What’s the first word you think of?

It’s hard for me to narrow it down. I can think of a lot of words. But it’s hard to choose one that captures it for me.

Different.

Yeah, that’s my final answer.

Life is different than I thought it would be. I am different. Marriage is different than I had imagined. Being a parent is very different from what I had pictured.

Making friends is different. Taking care of myself looks very different.

It is all collectively different.

And different does not at all come with a negative connotation here.

Honestly, I think that viewing my life in this way has helped me become a more flexible person.

To say I am a go-with-the-flow person would be quite a stretch. But I have learned to live my life with the reins permanently loosened up a bit.

(except for when it pertains to how to load the dishwasher… I just can’t budge on that)

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Here Are 8 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life Starting Today

1) Explore How You Feel

We don’t feel happy all the time. We never will feel happy every second of every day until the end of time.

Last time I checked I was a human being and not a robot. I’m going to assume the same about you.

Life will never be completely clean and neat and tidy. For any of us…we’re not a closet for goodness sake.

Here is a harsh truth. Certain emotions are much more widely accepted and welcomed with open arms. Many of us grew up in homes where we heard “it’s ok” or “you’re fine” quite a bit.

After so long, we adapt. This looks like keeping things bottled up. Just smile and keep going. We don’t want to ruffle any feathers.

Even in today’s world, it can feel as if positivity and happiness and optimism are everywhere we look. And not only are they in abundance but they are welcomed and embraced.

Whereas, feelings that would fall on the other end of the spectrum tend to not feel nearly as welcomed.

What this really comes down to is that there are no right or wrong ways to feel. And we are truly doing ourselves a disservice when we try to put our emotions in the right or wrong column. When we categorize the way we feel as good or bad.

Embrace the range of emotions. This will take practice but it will serve you and your life well.

And what’s the alternative?

If we don’t sit with our feelings then they will just inevitably pop up randomly like those one neighbors that seem to appear out of nowhere wanting to talk about random things for way too long.

Grab a journal and write how you feel. Write about anything you want. Don’t hold anything in or hold anything back.

I mean, as long as you find a super secret spot, no one is going to read these words but you. So don’t sugarcoat anything.

2) Stop Comparing

Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that easy? Just stop.

When life throws us a curveball and we get a little derailed, comparison is ready and waiting to swoop in like a hawk and eat you up.

Have you ever been scrolling social media just minding your own business when you see a picture that almost instantly sends you into a spiral? (this has happened more times than I would like to admit)

Our lives will never measure up to a picture or a 30-second edited video. NEVER.

This doesn’t stop us from trying though. Trying to change things or change ourselves or those closest to us. And we often convince ourselves that if we did change this or that then we would finally be content. All would be right in the world.

That is until we saw a new picture or video the next day.

Comparison is like a magnifying glass looking directly into your life. Enhancing any and every little thing. And we tend to take notice of all the things we feel could or should be different.

This is tough. None of us are immune to this. But…there are things we can do.

Take a step back from what is triggering us. (many times this is social media)

Redirect. (do something that makes you feel good or adds joy to your life… for me, this is music)

Write down something you are grateful for. (more on gratitude in a minute)

These things won’t magically make it all better but they can move you ever so slightly in a better direction.

3) Hold on and Let Go

Are there things in your life that make you feel good? Habits that spark joy and improve your mindset. Great. Hold on to those bad boys.

Are there things that do the opposite of this? Like scrolling social media for entirely too long and convincing yourself you absolutely need to paint your front door yellow. Just me?

Hold on to things that serve you and let go of things that don’t. And yes, this can include people.

I’m not saying to start cutting people off left and right. (unless you feel that’s what’s best for you)

But we need to really look at where our time and energy are being spent.

Those things are valuable and we should treat them as such.

BTW: If you have ever struggled with setting boundaries in your life (which I bet we all have), this amazing book is a must-read. From the first page to the last word, it covers anything and everything related to boundaries and how they impact our lives.

The point with all this holding on and letting go business is really to take inventory of your life. Take a pause and give yourself the space to dissect things a little bit.

Take a metaphorical peek behind the curtain to see what’s working and maybe what’s not working anymore.

4) Get an Outside Perspective

My favorite way to do this is through books. I am always reading some kind of personal growth book. (I love these)

Now, these said books do not miraculously make my life a stress-free zone where only good vibes reside.

But what they do provide me with is insight, perspective, and tools to better manage my day-to-day life. There are some really helpful people out there providing some really powerful information.

I recently finished this book and I already know I will be reading it again. It’s one of those that you can go back to over and over when you need a little refresher. (I tend to need refreshers and reminders on the regular)

Funny thing, I know I talked earlier about comparison being a negative side effect of social media.

However, I am here to tell you that there is an abundance of super amazing and life-changing information on the internet. The key is to curate your feed to include mainly those accounts that add to your life.

5) Celebrate

Celebrate the wins. No matter the size.

We don’t have to wait for big things to happen in order to do this. Mini-wins deserve to be recognized as well.

Do you ever notice how so many people downplay things in their lives? So often things are brushed off as being no big deal.

Why is this?

There tends to be such a fine line between things. It’s ok to complain but not too much. It’s ok to share your victories but not too many. Nobody likes a bragger.

Let’s be real here. Balance is bogus. We are all just out here living our lives. Doing the best we can with what we got.

And hopefully, the more we learn and the more we grow and just the more we live, we give ourselves permission to truly enjoy this life.

I got off track a little bit. (my husband would say sarcastically, “what’s new”) But the point is that your life should be celebrated all the dang time. Not just when certain dates pop up on a calendar.

This also encourages us to slow down more. Sometimes we can have our foot pressed all the way down on the gas. And we can unintentionally miss some really cool stuff in our lives at that speed.

6) Unrealistic Expectations

Here is a crash course on unrealistic expectations. They suck. We all set them. So let’s stop.

Got it? Great. I expect we will all fail miserably again with this seriously unrealistic expectation.

Do you know what unrealistic expectations do? They suck the joy out of our lives. They feed on the fun.

And they definitely set us up for disappointment.

Unrealistic expectations are comparable to going to extremes. They go right along with two words that can cause damage in our lives. Always and never.

I will never make a mistake.

I will always keep the house clean. (This is one I am personally working on continuously in my own life)

These expectations might feel good to set. But they never pan out the way we want them to. They come back to bite us in the bottom.

We tend to blame ourselves when an unrealistic expectation is not met. The real work comes in being able to recognize that we are not the issue. And real change happens when we can inch closer and closer to setting expectations that feel good and feel manageable.

If you are setting expectations that leave absolutely no wiggle room, then it’s time for some hard-core evaluations.

7) Gratitude

Gratitude alone will not transform your life. It is a small piece of the puzzle.

But I would argue that it’s a very crucial piece.

I don’t know about you, but a lot of things happen to me every day. Some good. Some bad. And others hit at all random spots between good and bad.

Do I pay attention to all of these things? Sometimes. Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.

Gratitude is like a little reset. It can slowly but surely help you shift your mindset.

And this is another one of those things that encourage slowness.

This simple gratitude journal is a great way to put and keep the focus on experiences we are thankful for.

8) You Can Only Control Yourself

This is a big one. HUGE. MASSIVE. GIGANTIC.

You can only change yourself. You can only work on yourself.

We really truly only have a say in what we do.

It’s like if we picture wanting a better relationship. We might be able to come up with a mile-long list of things we could do differently. And an equally long list of things our partners can do differently.

Guess what? Your list is the only one you can work on.

I have spent so much time and effort trying to change those around me. Trying to get them to see the light in a way.

But it just doesn’t work out in my favor. And I am guessing, if you can relate to that experience, it hasn’t worked out in your favor either.

You can only control yourself. Remind yourself of this as often as needed. Maybe even write it on a post-it and stick it somewhere you’ll see it all the time.

Life. (let’s all say it again with one of those dramatic sighs)

Life is a lot. There are a lot of moving parts.

But we have a pretty big say in those parts and how they move.

And most importantly, when it comes to any outside information or tips, or advice of any kind, take what serves you and leave the rest.

Find what speaks to you.

Have any tips on simple ways to improve your life? Share!

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