12 Pieces of Life-Changing Advice You Can Learn From Your Daily Life
BY Alexandra Rubio Figueroa
Only 24 hours, yet so much goes on in
that time span. You go about your day, going through the boring and
often dramatic events. How often do you stop to realize that each hour
of your day is packed with life-changing wisdom? Sure, there are the big
events that punch you in the gut. The lessons from those are hard to
ignore, but there are also many mundane things that happen in a day that
also have a lot to teach you, if you become aware of them.
1. You have the opportunity to make a difference in the world and in yourself. Make the day meaningful.
Waking up Every morning you are given another chance to think about
your purpose in life. Before you get out of bed, take a moment to
realize that you have been given the gift of a brand new day. How can
you make it meaningful?
2. Breathe your way to a calmer, healthier, happier life.
Breathing. You do it all day but unless you’re a regular meditator,
yogi, or tri-athlete, you probably don’t pay much attention to your
breath. Yet, breathing is the source of life. Learning to breath
properly
can relieve anxiety and stress, prevent illness, improve your sleep, help you manage your pain, lower high blood pressure, promote weight loss, and
has many more benefits.
3. Start the chain reaction of positive tasking.
Make your bed. If you’re a neat person, making the bed is something
that’s easy for you. But if you are the type of person who rushes out
the door at the last minute, making the bed is the last thing you think
about. It’s time to re-think that. There are many lessons in the making
of your bed. Didn’t your mother tell you, “The way you make your bed is
the way you sleep in it?” I never understood what that meant but I knew
there was profound wisdom in it. I’m sure “sleep” was a metaphor for
life. So listen to your mother, if you want to have a smooth life, make
your bed.
4. Most things are not as bad as you think they are.
Washing the dishes. Did you know it takes only one minute to wash a
pan, two knives, one fork, a cutting board and a bowl? See for yourself.
Time it. Instead of turning your back on that stack of dirty dishes in
the sink, invest a minute and wash them. You’ll feel so much better if
you do. Don’t make things worse than they really are.
5. Smaller problems are much easier to manage than larger problems.
Not putting your things away. Piles are easy to accumulate. Clothing,
paper, bathroom towels, whatever your piles may be, your piles say a
lot about you. It’s easy to accumulate piles in our private homes, no
one sees them, but you should. Is that really how your want your life to
be? One big stack of piles? It’s much easier to put away one towel, one
t-shirt, or one piece than it is to put away a huge stack of them.
Take care of things when they are small.
6. Be considerate of others.
Arriving on time. You start out on schedule but soon things get in
the way. The dog pukes, you can’t find your cell phone, and the baby
needs a diaper change and before you realize it, you’re twenty minutes
late. People are waiting for you either at a meeting, a restaurant, or
at the airport. As they wait, the negative comments about your tardiness
start. Is that how you want others to view you? Set aside extra time
for things to go wrong because it is most likely they will.
7. Dress for success
Getting dressed. Every morning you have a small portion of time set
aside to pick out how you want to present yourself for the rest of the
day. This simple (or sometimes not so simple) task has a lot riding on
it. As much as we don’t want to believe it, it’s true. People are judged
by the way they look. It’s that first impression when you walk in the
room that says, “Here I am.” Your clothes are your opportunity to make
your personal statement. How do you want to present yourself to the
world?
8.Respect other people’s opinions even when they differ from your own.
Conflict. It’s rare that two people will agree on most topics.
Conflict is everywhere. It happens at work, home, with family and
friends. Disagreeing isn’t the problem (although most people think it
is). The problem is in not giving value to the opinions of others.
9. The power of habit can transform your life.
Brushing your teeth. You may not realize it but besides a fresh, minty mouth you have just engaged
the power of habit,
a pattern that shapes every aspect of your life. A pattern that you
also have the power to transform many areas of your life. If you can
brush your teeth everyday at the same time, you can accomplish anything
you want to.
10. Judge others favorably. You never know what battle they are fighting.
Driving, riding the train, or taking the bus. These are the times
that someone will surely upset you. People will bump into you, cut you
off, take the seat you were going to sit it, and not hold the door open
for you. Transportation usually brings out the worst in people. This is
your opportunity to not get bothered by other people’s bad manners. You
are the one who will suffer. Your day will be ruined because they didn’t
even notice they bumped into you, cut you off, or took the seat you
were going to sit in.
11. Your moods are contagious. Share positive energy.
Walking into a room. Whenever you walk through the door of a meeting,
your office or home, you have the chance to determine how you want
people to respond to you. The energy you give off, is the energy that
will come back to you. Moods are contagious. Bring positive energy into a
room.
12.Love your body. Take good care of it.
Exercise. Going to the gym, yoga or spin class is a statement saying
that you love yourself. You are saying, I care about my body and my
health and I want to take the best care of myself that I possibly can.
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