Replace sweets and salty nibbles with healthy, regular snacks. Do not buy snacks or processed food. Instead take time preparing your fresh, organic fruits, or nuts or seeds. Become a conscious eater, a healthy eater or a vegetarian, or a vegan. Taking care of your diet, daily, not only makes you healthier but improves the willpower. Go for a regular walk every morning instead of checking your email or social media accounts first. ’ Switch off your mobile, TV or Radio at home. Give your-self a mental space from all that noise. Don’t buy an item that you want on impulse yet don’t really need, such as a coffee, CD, or new shirt. Instead, save your money. Commit to health and natural healing. Remove any stimuli, such as: alcohol, cigarettes, medication. They are damaging to long-term health and very expensive. Practice sport or play an instrument or learn a new language. Studying strengthens the willpower.
If you are trying to avoid junk food: “If I go to the grocery store and I can’t stop looking at unhealthy snacks, then I’ll pick up a mix of nuts instead. ” Enter only the green grocery store, avoid supermarkets. You will shop locally supporting your local producers. If you are trying to avoid drinking alcohol: “If someone offers me a drink, then I’ll just ask for a soda. ” If you are trying to control your temper: “If I start to feel mad, then I’ll immediately close my eyes, take a deep breath, and count to ten to calm down. ” Go for a walk. Do not stay in the same environment. A brief change of scene, will create miracles.
Taking a shower that is cold at first, and only allowing yourself warm water after a few minutes. Waiting 5 minutes before you eat, even when you are hungry. Do a short prayer, or create a table ritual where the family or friends share thoughts before the meal. Fasting for a day (only attempt this if you are healthy enough, and talk with a doctor beforehand). Health benefits of fasting are numerous, including boosting cognitive performance, protection from obesity and associated chronic diseases, improving overall fitness, supporting weight loss. Various personal growth systems encourage regular fasting once a month. Start with 32 hours of only drinking liquids and move to only water. Only allowing yourself to make a desired purchase after a certain period of time, such as a week (this also gives you time to determine if it is something you really want).
Reminding yourself to sit up straight while at work or while studying Pausing to take a few deep breaths every so often, Exercise Yoga Breathing Daily do an exercise, while sitting down Getting up from your desk for a 5 minute break every hour. Remove that couch.
Taking a 10 minute jog or fast walk everyday, then increasing it to 30 minutes or more. Creating an exercise routine, whether indoor or outdoor. Playing a favorite sport with friends one or more times a week. Training for a 5k, marathon, etc. Biking to work each day instead of taking a car or public transportation. Climbing a mountain.
Switch off your mobile, Internet and TV. They all increase your mental addictions. Remove your favorite Social Networking site, and go out and socialize. It is always more fun in person. Write a diary of your thoughts and recast them in a positive light. For instance, if you are tempted to think “I’ve never done this before, and don’t know what to do,” recast the situation more positively by thinking “This is an opportunity for me to learn something new. ” Avoid particular people, places, situations, media, and other elements of your life that tend to cause you to have negative thoughts. If you find you’re consuming a lot of negativity during the day, try to balance it out with a positive book, a walk in nature or a creative endeavor.
Chanting mantras, in which you repeat a word or phrase over and over again. Exercising mindfulness to be happier, in which you focus on your consciousness while meditating through breathing exercises and other techniques. Practices that combine meditation with physical activity, such as meditating on love and doing tai chi. Certain yoga breathing exercises. Visualization techniques.
Practicing a random act of kindness each day, such as offering a seat on the bus to someone else, anonymously paying for a stranger’s lunch, or giving a compliment to someone in need. Devoting at least one hour a week to helping another person in some non-required way. Volunteering with a community organization. Showing patience with family, friends, coworkers, etc. by resisting the urge to be judgmental.
You want to get to work on time. Jog before getting out of the house You want to stop smoking. Buy a house from all the savings you make. You want to be kinder to others. Do a voluntary word with an NGO once a week. You want to read more. Become a part of a Book Club. You want to be more successful. Finish another degree or learn a new language. You want to get in touch with your spiritual side. Dance or do art or visit your philosophy club.
Suppose you have an overall goal of being more successful in life, and you have decided that being better at your job is the place to start. You have been chronically late to work, and determine that getting to work on time is the first step you should take. Do you sleep well at night? Is the first step, bringing back healthy sleep into your life? Removing an internet addiction, re-introducing healthy habits. Going back to the habit of sleeping in time. Focus on exercising willpower by waking up earlier, introduce an early morning jog, so that you get to work on time. Experiment with your goals, sometimes they are fully interconnected. Re-introducing plenty of water and fresh veggies, with a healthy work-out, buying a dog, or a creative endeavor, falling in love, might boost your energies to such an extend that you will become successful in all other projects too.
If you are trying to get to work on time, for instance, keep a log each day that records when you go to bed and when you wake up. Notice if you are making improvement or need to make changes. For example, if you notice you are waking up on time everyday except for Mondays, focus renewed willpower on fixing that. There are several websites, apps, and programs that can help you monitor your progress as you seek to achieve goals. However, be careful not to over-monitor yourself or get caught up in using one of these aids, as it can become distracting and reduce your willpower.
