How Did I Change My Life...
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu
A few years ago, I decided to change my life for better. There were numerous reasons why I wanted to make these life alterations, but the main ones were that I knew I was capable of so much more. I wanted to make an effort to exploit my full potential and accomplish more and I wanted to be more mindful and happy and worry less. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. That was my motivation. I carefully and discriminately decided on the changes I would make in my life. I purposely chose changes that were practical, effective and achievable for me. I wanted lasting changes and not temporary ones that were based on euphoria. For certain aspects, I made complete 180 degree changes while for others I made small behavioral changes. I did this because certain changes were harder for me to make than others.
I came up with a list of few specific habits that I wanted to change. Here is what I did:
1. I decided to have a daily routine to follow diligently. The daily routine eradicated the guesswork.
2. I set clear goals that I wanted to achieve with no ambiguity. These goals were specific and clearly stated so that it was obvious when I achieved them (or didn’t). Because there was no vagueness, I knew when I fell short.
3. I made sure the goals I set were quantifiable and measurable. For example, rather than saying I would exercise often (what does often mean?), I said that I would exercise 4 times a week for 1 hour and thus joined our local gym. Then I was able to review my progress (or lack of) easily.
4. Not only did I develop a daily routine, I also decided to plan my days and week in advance. Rather than leave things to chance or to what I felt like doing at the moment, I planned each day and week by listing specific things that I wanted to accomplish. For example, I decided to do my shopping online, and waste no time in stores.
5. I learned to meditate and incorporated that into my daily routine. This one change has made a huge impact on my life. I now meditate every morning after I wake up. It has taught me so much about myself, helped me concentrate more, and become more mindful. It also has made me realize that my thoughts can be extremely rambunctious and that I do not always have them to attach to myself.
6. I made a commitment to pay closer attention to my nutrition and eat healthier food. I cut out junk food, sodas, excessive fat, red meat, poultry and processed food.
7. Another change I chose to make pertains to reading. I decided to read more books.
8. I have curtailed my TV viewing greatly, and now watch much less television compared to before. I have used this time to read more. I love channels like National Geographic, Discovery, and PBS.
9. After reading about the virtues of
being grateful, I now list 5 things every night that I am grateful for before I fall asleep. It could be simple things like enjoying a nice meal or spending quality time with a loved one. This has made me appreciate my blessings so much more and made me more thankful.
10. Rather than spend money buying frivolous stuff, I now spend my money on great experiences that teach me a lot and afford me a lot of fun.
11. I have decided to stay in closer contact with family and friends whom I care about deeply. I used to be more self-centered and neglected staying in touch. I now call my family more often.
12. Forgiveness is a big one for me. I was never big at forgiving, I was equally hard on others whom I perceived had wronged me, as well. But now I forgive and leave them out of my life.
13. One thing that I do more now is challenging myself to do things that I consider difficult. In the past, I would shy away from difficult endeavors, but I realize now that many of them were unwarranted and easy.
I have incorporated these changes gradually over time and have found that each of them supports the other. Also let me make it clear that in no way am I successful 100%, but nevertheless I am trying.
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