Do a surprise favor for someone today.
One of the best ways to improve your life is to help improve the day for someone else.
After all, you can’t feel bad when you’re doing good.
Spend an Entire Day in Gratitude
Although this is very simple, it’s not as easy as it seems.
Go 24 hours without complaining about anything; not only to others, but to yourself.
Do not complain about politics, the weather, bad drivers, inconsiderate people, high prices, or traffic. Do not disparage customers, clerks, or those with opposing views. Do not think negative thoughts about co-workers, friends, or family.
Most importantly, do not berate yourself for where you are in life or where have you yet to go. Do not put yourself down for your mistakes, your accomplishment, or your appearance.
If you really want to “push” yourself, each time you feel the urge to be negative, find a way to be grateful instead.
Try it for one day.
What’s odd is how the rest of the world seems to change when you do.
Creatures of Habit
Have you ever really truly analyzed how much of what we do is by rote?
Paying for groceries, the clerk asks,
“How are you?”Our expected reply, stated without thought:
“Fine, how are you?”Continuing the script she responds, “Great,” and upon finishing the transaction, adds the obligatory, “Have a nice day.”
Did she really care?
Should we opt to spill our guts about the problems we’re having with aging, would she request the other shoppers stand elsewhere while she counseled, consoled, and cajoled us? Survey says: Not a chance. The brief exchange near the cash register is a pre-ordained, almost-required, nicety; it’s just “what we do.”
That just scratches the surface; dig deeper and discover how much of our lives are run by autopilot.
Picture a typical weekday; we either arise with the help of an alarm — that pushes us to consciousness at the exact same moment as every other weekday — or we don’t use one at all. Upon rising, patterns control everything from the order of our morning constitutional to the clothes we choose. We are either “breakfast eaters” — or not. It’s not “I am” one day and “I’m not” the next. The average grocery store stocks over 40,000 items; yet even those of us who opt for breakfast choose from fewer than a handful of items every morning, the same selections we had yesterday and will eat tomorrow.
Video: Heartwarming Ad From Thailand About Emotions
This is a great ad from a life insurance company in Thailand about feelings.
Kick the Winter Blues: Home Improvement Tips to Avoid Seasonal Depression
According to Medline Plus, depression affects more than 20 million Americans.
For many people, winter complicates the issue by bringing about yearly battles with Seasonal Depression (also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD). A three decade-long study by the experts at News in Health, indicated that between one and 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, but there’s hope. Light therapy helps ease symptoms. Fellowship with other people also helps, as does behavioral changes. If you’ve been diagnosed with SAD, focus on staying social and take on a home improvement project to your channel your focus.
These three household projects will crank up your interaction with others, while allowing multiple benefits along the way: