7 Healthy Habits That Unexpectedly Changed My Life

Ready to improve your life? Here are the best habits for success.

Do you feel like your life could use a makeover?

I don’t mean changing the colours of your wardrobe or buying another fancy gadget.

New lipstick won’t change your life, but there are a few habits that might.

I am talking about habits that boost your health, happiness, self-respect, and productivity.

I won’t lie. Levelling up your habits won’t come overnight, but with your fierce persistence, the sweat will be worth it.

Strict working rules.

The time spent working is not a time to:

• Scroll on social media.
• Reply to emails.
• Clean the house, (it might be tempting when working from home).
• Chat with friends.

I have strict rules when it comes to my working space.

The desk has to be neat and tidy. Notifications on my devices are off.

I eat light meals, drink plenty of water and have a snack prepared beforehand to limit distractions.

After all, your attention is your superpower.

I take a short 10-minute break for yoga, meditation or breathwork. Those are powerful tools that boost your productivity and focus.

Those rules help me stay on my tasks, be more present during the day and improve the quality time spent with my friends and family after the work is done.

It is a win-win situation, both on the home and office fronts.

Face the fear.

I make sure I do one thing every day that makes me uncomfortable.

Whether it is talking to a stranger in line, making an uncomfortable phone call, going out in the cold and rain, admitting to a mistake or learning a new skill I do not feel confident with.

Fearlessness is contagious.

When you do one, tiny thing that scares the shit out of you. The next fear you will punch in the face, let it roll down the hill, and you will come on top as a winner.

One small victory leads to another. It is how empires are built.

Without leaping into deep waters, you will be left wondering ‘what if?’. Without that leap, you will never know what you are capable of.

Fears rarely represent reality. But as long as you buy into your sabotaging thoughts, you will lose in life.

Your fearless attitude is your currency to fulfilling your dreams. Don’t be afraid to fail. Fear never trying at all.

Live by the rule:

Experience is my teacher. Adversity is my fortitude.

I cut down on drinking.

Alcohol may present itself as a solution to many problems. It is not.

Quitting alcohol improved my workouts, sleep, and concentration.

You typically fall straight into a deep sleep when you drink, missing the critical rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

While you are supposed to have between six and seven cycles of REM sleep a night, you usually only have one or two when you’ve been drinking.

As you sleep better, you become more productive, creative and focused during the day.

What is more, my skin never looked better.

Your skin reflects your level of hydration. The more alcohol you drink, the more dehydrated you become.

Better sleep, better concentration, enhanced skin condition and peace of mind are worth awkward questions and looks when turning down a drink.

Change ‘I am sorry’ into ‘Thank you’.

Do you feel a stab of guilt every time you are late for a meeting?

Do you profusely apologize when you bump into somebody?

Humility goes a long way in building healthy and emotionally stable relationships.

But over apologizing is a confidence killer.

When you start every conversation with “I am sorry to bother you…”, it is like you apologize for breathing and existing.

Your words and thoughts program your subconscious mind. People treat us the way we carry ourselves.

Excessive apologizing goes hand in hand with having poor boundaries. When people are afraid of rejection and criticism, they will go out of their way to come off as polite.

People-pleasing feeds your insecurities and hurts your long-term priorities.

Women apologize more than men. The pressure to be a polite and sweet woman is astounding.

Still, many people fail to realize you can remain kind by saying, “Thank you for waiting”, instead of saying, “I am sorry for being late”.

The meaning remains the same, but the vocabulary implies more self-respect and confidence.

Gratitude is all the rage right now. Saying thank you has a better impact on your mental and physical well-being than guilt and over-explanation ever will.

Next time, you want to raise your confidence, cut out “sorry” before asking a question.

Prepare meals in advance.

Instead of spending my energy deciding what to eat, I have nailed meal planning. It saves time and worries.

I make a list of meals for the week. Weekends are open for experiments and freelancing in the kitchen.

Next, I make a shopping list of what I need for the next few days.

I make sure I can use the same ingredients for multiple recipes. When I prepare a bigger batch of food, I freeze portions to minimize food waste. Plus, I have something to throw in the pot in case of an emergency.

Make a list of your favourite breakfasts. Include options you know are delicious and nutritious.

Avocado on toast with scrambled eggs on the side.

Homemade granola (made in advance, stored in jars) to mix with some yoghurt and fresh fruits of the season.

A satisfactory breakfast sets the tone for your whole day, so make sure it is mindfully prepared, not rushed.

Don’t settle for a nice breakfast. Make it an awesome one.

I let go every day.

What does it feel like to declutter your desk or closet?

I bet it brings more clarity and freedom into your life. It makes you feel lighter and re-energized.

Apply the same process to negative emotions like grudge or attachment to results and people in your life.

I used to believe letting go was for cowards.

Today I consider ‘letting go’ the best way to manifest a better life. Letting go taught me that we get what we want once we stop demanding it.

Before going to bed, I spend ten to thirty minutes meditating on my goals and how attached I am to results. It often makes me realize I am a slave to how things should be.

I also make an inventory of relationships that feel heavy. I visualize strings connecting me to those people and cutting those cords with scissors, so I can thrive.

The more attached you are, the more unhappy you become.

The more you let go, the more power you have.

Letting go doesn’t mean you don’t care. Letting go signals abundance.

You send a signal to the Universe:

I am already whole and complete, so I don’t need this specific outcome of the situation. I release the need to control.

The Universe wants you to thrive.

It means you are not attached to how things should be, but appreciative of everything this season of life offers because you know there is a lesson in there.

We get what we want once we stop demanding it.

It is impossible to control life, so you might as well chill out and enjoy every moment while it lasts.

The control over how things should be keeps you stressed and worried and eventually make you sick.

Letting go is a homage to your mental and physical well-being.

I drink coffee alone.

Embracing solitude is a powerful hack for creating a successful life.

Yet many people fear being alone and feel uneasy when sitting alone at a café. Some people even prefer an electric shock to be left alone with their minds.

Solitude is not the enemy. It is your ally.

Alone time offers an invitation to consider what drives your motivations and carries meaning in your life. It makes you a better friend.

When you capitalize on the opportunity to spend time alone, you get to know yourself.

When you discover your identity, you are no longer seduced by the external world. It is how you experience true freedom.

When you feel weak alone, you live in fear. When you are afraid of ending up alone, you chase whatever is available. You become an easy target for manipulation.

Invest in that coffee alone. It will be life-changing.

Incorporating new habits and establishing a new routine requires determination, self-discipline, and time.

Don’t be hard on yourself if today you didn’t give your best.

Tomorrow, make your bed and start all over again.

With time, those habits won’t feel like habits anymore. They will become a natural part of your everyday life.