How You Can Change Your Habits to Live a Healthier Life.

On fitness habits, we learned to make a list of five healthy habits that you can do every day. Good food, enough exercise, and sleep daily leads to a long life and a strong, healthy body.Remove the clutter on your desk and start the journey of your personal habits! And finally, after learning about emotional, mental, lifestyle, fitness, and personal habits, we will learn how to develop them and keep them for life.Remember that your habits define you. They make up your character as a person. Bad habits lead to a miserable life. But good habits lead to a healthy, successful, and happy life.

How Positive Thinking Can Actually Make Your Happiness Last Longer

It’s a rainy day in New Mexico. The clouds are covering the sun, and the scene is simply depressing.37-year-old Max sits at the dining table wondering what went wrong with his life. How did he end up so devastated? How did his life turn out to be this awful? After all, when he was a kid, he thought that adults had everything figured out.Max decided to apply some positive thinking in his life. He thought that life couldn’t get any worse anyway, so why not try something new?He started by looking at all the negativity around him. He observed his negative thoughts and how he dealt with them. He realized how negative he was.

Max didn’t let those negative thoughts weigh him down anymore. He thought, “So, what if I can’t pay my bills on time this month? I’ll work harder the next month and pay my bills. I can even pay next month’s bills too!”It’s been a long time since Max has wondered how successful his future could be. He sat down and daydreamed about himself standing in the highest place of honor. He imagined himself getting rewarded on TV for being a successful financial analyst. This was his big dream, after all.Instead of thinking about all the negative things in his life, Max began to look for solutions. He told himself, “I’m not happy at work, so I’ll either quit and find another job. Or I’ll try to find what exactly makes me sad in my current job, and I will change it!”

Max also said, “Today, I woke up and did some laundry. I finished that task at work that nobody is able to get done. I cleaned my room and organized my books by color.” Max knew that all of these were not really much in terms of achievement. But at least, they were something! And sometimes, simply living for another day is an achievement on its own.Last week, Max failed to organize the files on the company’s server. It was a task that his boss assigned to him. Max started thinking WHY he failed to do it, instead of just feeling awful about himself! He realized that his boss’ instructions were not clear, and he was afraid to ask for more details. Max didn’t know whether his boss wanted him to organize the files according to size, date, purpose, etc.When Max went to work the next day, he gathered his courage. He asked the boss how exactly does he want the files to be organized. To his surprise, the boss answered the questions calmly, and so Max finished the task in less than one hour.

What Max did here, and what we should all do, is to stop thinking of negative things that can happen. Max decided to face the problem head-on and come up with the solution.That’s why he fixed it.The next step that Max did was to visualize his success and feed his mind with positive thoughts. These positive thoughts put him on the right track!This is what you need to do. Once you’re on the right track, think about all the positive things in your life. Think about your mistakes ONLY to find solutions for them. Do not let yourself wallow in self-pity.One positive thought can lead that way for many positive thoughts to follow. Likewise, a negative thought will attract many negative thoughts, and eventually, you’ll find yourself stuck in that pessimistic loop.

Why you need a new one for your next vacation

But that was not it. Max did not stop there. He was emotionally devastated, too, because he just had a fight with his wife. They had a silly disagreement where he said some words that hurt her, then she left the house and stayed at a friend’s place.Max took a two-week leave from his work. He needed to get his emotions in place. He needed to work on them.First, Max identified what caused the conflict he had with his wife.That morning when they argued, Max woke up and found dirty laundry all around the room. It was all his wife Irene’s clothes. Max yelled and said that he could not take this mess anymore. His wife didn’t answer him. She just left the room, which made Max even angrier.He ran after her and started screaming and insulting her. Max said many things that he did not mean.Irene responded with the same anger, and then she just left the house.

When Max sat down to think about what happened, he realized that the dirty laundry was not really why he was angry. Max was frustrated from work, and he felt that he couldn’t earn enough money to make his wife happy.Meanwhile, Irene had just learned that a friend of hers was sick, and she got worried. Irene and Max both didn’t speak up about their emotions, which eventually led to that unnecessary fight.After reflecting on his emotions and the reasons behind them, Max felt better.He also took the time to apply a technique called Diaphragm Breathing. Max simply sat down and began to breathe deeply and slowly. This brought more oxygen to his brain, and it made him feel calm and more in control.

Why did Max take a two-week vacation, though? He could have rested at his house.No, Max needed a change of scenery. He learned that simply going for a walk or sitting outside in the open air for a few minutes would make him feel better. He would be able to clear his mind and understand his reactions.Do you get it? Emotional maturity is not just a term that is thrown around on social media. It’s a serious and important matter.Whenever you feel sad about something, sit down and meditate for a few minutes. Then once you’re calm, identify your emotions and think about the reasons behind them. It also helps to share your thoughts and feelings with someone you love.Be like Max. Your emotional needs are just as important as your physical ones. You wouldn’t be expected to go back to work immediately if you broke your leg, right? So, why is it wrong to take some time off to heal your mind? Think about it.Don’t bottle up your emotions and bury them deep down because they WILL eventually come out, and when they do, they’ll be much, much worse.

What does Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates have in common?It’s not that they are all rich. They all have values and good character.Max realized that. He realized that he needs to have values in life. He needed to understand how his mind works so that he could change it.Okay, so now that Max understands his values, he can now move on to the next step, which is passion.Is he really passionate about his job? If yes, then what can he do about it? How can he make his life better?After sitting down and thinking about this, Max realized that he is actually passionate about his job. The problem is that he only sees the negative things at work. He does not appreciate the positive points.

What are Other Ways of Looking at Work Hours & How it can Impact your Career?

Yes, he likes his job. Max decided to change his attitude so that he will enjoy it more.Okay, so now that Max realized that he’s passionate about what he does, he needs to have a vision. Where does he want to be 5 years from now? He needs to create a vision for himself, a dream.“But I can’t do it…” Max thought, but then he told himself. “NO, there are no excuses. I’ve been making excuses for everything in my life. I won’t limit myself anymore. I can do anything!” What Max did here is that he wanted to stop the excuses he had for all his failures. Excuses will not get him anywhere. He has to face his problems, and he knew exactly what to do. He’s going to accept that sometimes he makes mistakes, and that’s okay. Next time he’ll do better.

Max used to believe that to get anywhere in life, he needs to work from 9-5 every single day. Is that even true? He began to think deeply about it.Max realized that he could do the work he does in only 2 hours and get the rest of the day off for himself.“I need to let go.”Max told himself.He needed to let go of all the locked-up emotions he had kept in his soul.Max cried and cried until he felt empty. But the truth is that what he felt was not emptiness. It was his soul being clean of all those feelings and pain.When you know what your values are, you align your goals to fit in your values. You work every day with a purpose. Your life has direction. But how can you achieve that if you don’t even know what values are important to you?Once you know your values, think about the things you’re passionate about. Is it art? Sports? Writing? Programming? Whatever it is, do it, and do it now!

Healthy Habit Tracking Tools That Help You Stay on Track

“But what is your secret?” Max asked.John, his friend, answered, “There’s no secret, really. I just combine them into a list of five things that I need to do every day.”Max is now on a journey to improve his own health. He is overweight, and he has difficulty walking.“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Max always hears that sentence, but he never really understood it. See, the sentence is not about just apples in particular. It’s about making healthy food choices every day.John has formulated his own plan that he follows every day to keep being healthy in body and mind. This is John’s 5 fitness habits list.

1)    Walk, jog, and walk.
2)    Make it fun.
3)    Bring in some competition.
4)    Park his car away.
5)    Stretch.

Let’s examine the story of these two men, John and Max.John makes sure that he stretches as soon as he wakes up. He does stretch for 5 minutes and then goes running for 30 minutes. He jogs in place when he can and works out.John also makes sure to park his car away from the office to give himself a chance to walk extra 3 minutes. Walking doesn’t bother him at all.But John doesn’t stop there. He makes all his exercises fun and challenging by bringing his friends with him. They work out together and bring their smartwatches to track their progress.On the other hand, Max doesn’t do any of these things. He wakes up and takes a shower. He eats a breakfast of bacon and eggs every day. He parks his car right in front of the office because he’s too lazy to walk. Max thinks that he doesn’t have time for walking.

If you look at John and Max from afar without knowing anything about their lives, you’d think that John is 20 something years old while Max is 40 something. The truth is, they’re both 37 years old. Max also seems agitated all the time, while John is much calmer.Why is that? Well, walking and working out makes your mood better. It helps you have a positive mindset all day. Exercise also makes you feel stronger and much more self-confident.You can also make your workout more fun by joining a team that plays a sport you love. For example, if you love football, you can have a friendly match with your colleagues once in a while.Working out is not a simple task. Our bodies are used to do the maximum amount of productivity using the least amount of energy.

It takes time, effort, more time, and more effort to change your habits and become healthier.On the first days of work out, your body will be sore, and you will want to quit, but don’t. Take a good night’s sleep and work out again the next day. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym. A 30-minute routine in your own living room will do just fine.Take a person who smokes, for example. When a guy decides to stop smoking, it feels like it’s the hardest thing he ever did in his life. But once he passed through the first few weeks of nicotine withdrawal, the guy will notice how much his body got better and his morning walk to the office got easier. The guy will start to wonder why he ever smoked in the first place.Max now jogs around the neighborhood every single day. He wakes up at 5 AM, then he eats a healthy breakfast, and now he uses a bike to go to work.”The fresh air hitting my lungs is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” Max said.

The best personal habits to improve your life.

Now that Max is back home, there is something else on his list. They are Personal Habits.He wanted to be more productive in his life in general and at work.The first step that Max did was to simplify his life. He needed to clear out all the mess in his room so that he could concentrate.He realized that a messy room is equal to a messy life! Max started by clearing out his desk. Then, he changed the bedsheets and did the dirty laundry, which was the cause of his argument with his wife.

The next step was to plan. He took out a notebook and started writing. This is what Max wrote on his list.

1. Apologize to my wife, Irene.
2. Ask my boss how I could be more useful to the company.
3. Get creative.
4. Discuss my emotions with Irene and never lock them up.
5. Take a break.
6. Work smart.

Max wrote lots of steps and made lots of lists on how to improve his life. He spent two hours making that list, and he is determined to follow it. He needed goals and steps to reach what he wants in life.Max began by calling Irene. He apologized and asked her to come back home. And when Irene arrived, they sat down and talked. Max explained that stress at work was the real reason why he got angry.Irene then also explained the situation with her sick friend. Max listened without saying a word. He then hugged her and promised to be there for her anytime she needs a shoulder to cry on.

Max then followed the rest of his plan. For example, the next day, he went to work and asked his boss if there was anything that he could do to make the company even better.His boss was impressed, and they discussed ideas that could make the office a better place. Max felt very productive that day. He was determined to accomplish his most important tasks at work.

The Developing Habits that will show you how to get more done and achieve

Max is almost done now. But to keep his transformation from falling apart, he needs to learn how to keep doing them.It’s not enough if you do good habits for a day, a week, or a month, and then you fall back into your bad habits once again. It’s important to keep good habits for the rest of your life.For example, Max made sure that all the clutter he removed stayed away from his workspace. He planned a certain part of his day that was clear of all distractions. Max followed a schedule for his smartphone and computer use. He replaced his past time of mobile games to read books.

He then applied the Batching for Success technique. What’s that?It goes like this. When Max is at work, if he had 9 tasks, he’d batch them up into a group of threes before taking a break.To apply the Batching for Success technique, divide the tasks you have into small groups. And then finish the first group, take a break, finish the second one, take a break, and so on.In this way, you finish more tasks in less time. Instead of taking a break after you finish every task, batch them up and take a break when you finish a whole batch.The Batching for Success technique also helps you to keep your priorities straight.Make a list of the things that you need to get done and organize them according to their importance. The most important task goes to the top, and then the other less important tasks go after it.

If you follow the Batching for Success technique, you have already done your #1 priority task at the start of the day. You did not procrastinate, and you did it with your body and mind in the best condition.Do you want to be even more productive? Wake up one hour earlier every day. Use this time to read a book, have breakfast without rushing, talk to your spouse and kids, plan your day, etc.This could definitely change your life as you now have more control over the things you want to do before going to work.And finally, learn to say NO.When you’re put in a situation that makes you sad or unhappy, just say no!

It will seem hard at first. People who used to walk over you will be surprised and might even say that you’ve changed for the worse.But that’s not true. You just learned to say NO to things and people that do not make you happy. You just don’t need negativity in your life. That’s all.Say no to the obstacles that block your way from achieving your goals.