Paul Brian
For years I felt left behind by life socially, romantically and professionally.
I complained, I got angry, I read every self-help guide out there. I went to spiritual retreats and tried meditation.
There’s one big thing I didn’t do:
I didn’t fundamentally change my habits on an ongoing basis.
It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I realized it wasn’t my mindset or my emotions bringing me down most of all, it was unhealthy habits I’d fallen into which were fueling the self-defeating emotions and thoughts.
That’s why I’ve written these top powerful daily habits that will turn your life around.
No matter where you’re currently at in your life, put these into practice and you’ll see big results within weeks.
1) Set daily goals
Every day you should have at least one goal, if not two or three.
Start with your goal for the year and work back to your goal for the month, week, and day.
This can be a financial goal for every day, an amount of work you’ll do, fitness commitment and any other objective that you have for the day.
Write these out the night before.
2) Wake up early
Having goals for your day does no good if you get up at 2 p.m.
Get to sleep at an early hour and wake up early.
If you feel extremely tired and unable to face the day, look into checking your hormone levels and health.
3) Hydrate!
After waking up and throughout the day, it’s crucial to hydrate your body.
Our bodies are 70% water, and that needs to be constantly replenished, even in fairly dry conditions.
Men, on average, need a bit more water than women per day.
Recommended daily intake is 15 cups of water per day for men, 11 cups of water a day for women.
This amounts to around 3.7 liters a day for men and around 3 liters a day for women.
4) Look after your hygiene
Every day make sure to look after your hygiene.
All the basics like brushing, flossing, washing, shampooing and combing hair and/or beard go a long way to making you feel more at home in your body and more mentally strong and poised.
One specific way for ladies (and guys!) to look after their hygiene is the next point…
5) Do daily facial rolling
Daily facial rolling is an excellent part of your morning routine.
This practice, also known as gua sha, makes your skin glow and be revitalized without any costly and risky botox procedure.
You’ll just need a couple small tools such as a jade roller as another small rubbing stone.
You’ll find yourself thinking much more clearly and feeling more energized as well, due to the lymphatic drainage.
“This delightful form of self-care not only feels good but also has numerous benefits. It wakes up your skin, stimulates the lymphatic system, and helps with inflammation.”
Here’s a quick starter guide on some of the best ways to do facial rolling from Tina Engeo.
6) Listen to uplifting music
As you get your day started and throughout your day, listen to uplifting music that energizes and inspires you.
The genre of music and its style is entirely up to you, of course, but make it something that connects with your soul.
Make it the soundtrack to your day, a melody and/or lyrics that provide an non-extinguishable bright spot of motivation, energy and beauty for your day.
7) Prep meals ahead of time
Prepare meals ahead of time if possible.
There are various ways to do this and it also depends on what you usually eat.
You may choose to prepare your dinners for the week, for example, and keep them in the fridge to heat up and serve.
Or you may prepare your meals for the next day entirely the night before and stow them in the fridge or ready to bring to work.
This takes a lot of stress out of meal prep time and gives you focus for the day!
8) Eat healthy
When it comes to what you do eat, do your best to keep it healthy.
What we eat makes a big difference, and ensuring that you put nutritious foods in your body goes a long way to boosting your mental and physical health.
I don’t recommend getting stressed about what you eat, but do pay attention and become more mindful of it. You’ll feel more empowered and good in your own body and mind!
9) Say hi to somebody
As you go about your day, make a habit of saying hello and making small talk with at least one person.
You may detest small talk or feel like you don’t have the time or energy to be chit chatting with strangers.
But even if it’s just asking a bank teller how his day is going and chatting for a second or saying hi to the old lady who lives down the hall from your apartment, go for it.
You’ll be surprised how even the smallest step to link up to the outside world makes you feel more connected and part of the world.
10) Make somebody laugh at least once
On a related note, and if possible combined with the previous advice, try to make somebody laugh at least once a day.
If you’re failing at this, at least try to make yourself laugh once a day.
Life is short and laughter is so crucial to reducing stress and not taking ourselves quite so seriously all the time.
11) Reach out to loved ones and friends
Practice reaching out at least once a day to friends, family and loved ones.
Even if it seems kind of boring at first, you’ll find how rewarding it is to let somebody know you care about them and to wish them an awesome day.
Even if it’s just a short text message, quick call or brief email in the morning, it will make you (and them!) have a much better day.
Give it a try!
12) Do half an hour of exercise
At some point in your day that’s best for you, do at least half an hour of exercise.
It can be a brisk walk, light jogging, weight-lifting, using a stair climber machine or riding your bike.
It can be kayaking, playing volleyball or squash, or really anything that gets your heart rate up and makes the sweat fall.
Just do it!
13) Maintain an upright posture
Having an upright posture is a big power move that will quickly get you ahead in life.
Not only will you find that others respond to you with more respect and attention, you’ll also begin feeling more confident and full of momentum.
Keep your shoulders back and your head high and see the difference for yourself!
14) Listen to a motivational speaker
At some point during the first half of your day or lunch break, tune into a motivational speaker.
Listen to somebody who gets you fired up and motivated.
This can be a historical figure or audiobook you love as well.
The choice is yours, just make sure it’s content that speaks to your soul and connects with you at the primal level.
15) Take screen breaks
For myself and many friends of mine, the day can easily become a series of switching between screens:
Smartphone screen, laptop screen, facial recognition screen to get into the apartment, tablet screen, TV screen.
Take breaks from these screens!
Go out and enjoy nature. Spend a good hour with your phone switched off.
Spend time reading or listening to music with your eyes closed. Take as many screen breaks as possible and you’ll begin to reconnect to your inner essence.
16) Stop or reduce smoking and drinking
Cutting out or drastically reducing your bad habits will also turbo-boost your life.
Start with any habits like smoking, drinking, substance use and other vices such as compulsive gambling, addiction to porn and other addictions such as social media.
You have it in your power to do this and move on to a more empowering chapter of your life.
17) Keep to a daily budget
Every day you have your goals which I mentioned at the beginning.
Part of this is having a daily budget of the maximum amount you can spend in order to hit your target for savings and future purchases.
If you ever do go over your daily spending limit you need to be disciplined and deduct it from money you would have been permitted to spend in the weeks ahead.
18) Do something creative once daily
Every day do at least one creative thing.
For example:
- Draw or paint something
- Sing a song
- Design a new avatar in your computer game
- Write a poem or story
- Decorate your interior space or outside imaginatively!
And anything else creative you can think of.
Practice these 18 habits daily and your life will be boosted in huge ways you’ll start to see right away!
