In the Part One of this post, we discussed the changes we need to be make physically to living a more simple and fulfilling life.

In this pat, we are moving on the mental changes we can implement. There is always something about ourselves we can improve on. Human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth.

Whenever we think we are good, we can be even better, with massive scope for improvement.

Here are things that if you consistently will bring about magnanimous changes in your life:

Use positive self-talk

It is pretty apparent to blame ourselves and our behavior for the problems in our surroundings. Getting caught up in being harsh and critical of the perceived failings is undoubtedly easy. It leads to unproductive self-talk, lowering our motivation, mood, and energy. You perceive what you aspire to; you get what you feed; hence it is evident to be conscious when we talk to ourselves. We lose nothing by being pessimistic. If you are constantly feeding your thoughts with thoughts like you are not incapable, you are sufficient will make you the same.

Although it is hard to find a motivation to step toward self-improvement, it is just a step away.

FACTS+OPTIMISM=POSITIVITY

If at all you see yourself in a situation where you are low and stuck, try to make a small pep-talk with yourself, no one knows you better than yourself.

Please acknowledge that you are facing a challenge, the situation is not easy, but you must focus on handling it. The human mind is designed for challenges; hence things like this are easy to tackle if one tries to focus on the facts. An optimistic attitude, confidence, and focus on solving the issue will help to a greater extent.

The hard part is catching yourself in the act of negative thinking and intentionally deciding to think differently. But with a bit of practice, this will get easier.

Practice patience

Try not to let things get to your inner peace of mind. It is easier said than done, but once taught, there is no going back and feeling anxious. Patience would have a seemingly more impact on our mental health than imagined.

FORGIVE.

An act of forgiveness towards others and more to yourself. Practicing patience to forgive people who disappoint is an opportunity to learn and improve. It would make our lives easier by not holding onto anger or feelings of resentment and allow room to forgive at our own pace for our peace.

PAST WILL NOT MATTER.

History is to learn from the previous mistakes but not to curb the problems and emotions involved. Past will not matter; it is to be left behind; the bitter experiences will do nothing but reduce our present day’s capacity to improve. Holding onto regret, pain, and resentment hurts, but when you feel any of these emotions, it affects your mood and how you treat everyone, including yourself. Harboring unforgiveness breeds negative thoughts, so it is in our hands to decide to let go and make a plan to never go to bed angry.

LET GO OF CONTROL.

Feeding anybody’s ego is not your task, nor providing for your ego is advisable. However, it is our life, and we often feel the need to control everything in our lives without accepting that we can not control some things. One has to take it lightly and acknowledge that you are only one person in a world of many and that the universe has other plans that may not always align with yours. That’s okay to agree and accept and move on simply. Withdraw yourself from NEGATIVE THOUGHTS and TOXIC PEOPLE.

FOCUS ON VALUE.

To be precise, what matters to you is the value of your life. It is up to us what makes us feel better; a better person is a relationship, love, or position. So, try to look for your values and focus on essential things in your life, and PRIORITISING yourself and your thoughts is of utmost importance for your life. It is unique to all the sacrificing women and parents. It is equally important to take care of yourself and your needs; by doing so, you can give more room to take care of others.

It’s OKAY TO SAY NO.

You are not the only person on earth to solve and help every being, and accepting this will reduce the burden in our lives. Always good to help people, but there is No need to stress yourself over it. It’s not our game to play. Try to help but not to do instead of them. PEOPLE PLEASING is an attitude a few of us possess, although it is good to be kind but not accept and please them. OVERCOME FEARS, uncertainty in life will lead to fear, fear of risk. It will keep us stuck in a position and prevent us from growing. Recognizing our fears and blind spots can help us grow as they act as a compass pointing at areas that need attention.

Being kind costs Nothing

We never know what the other person is going through. However, being rude and careless to people around us is easy. It takes a lot more to be kind and considerate to every being, which would help us build ourselves as social beings and as better humans.

Being kind to others gives us a sense of purpose. It costs us nothing but an ample amount of gratitude, confidence, and mental well-being.

It would not mean donating money or things like that, but a small random act of kindness will take us a long way. It might be complimenting a stranger, sharing lunch with a fellow, greeting people, or even just holding the door open for someone crossing you through the door, holding the lift door, or stretching a helping hand to the needy.

You will notice your mood lift a little when you do good for the sheer joy of just doing it and show that simple act of kindness in a week which will boost your happiness and gratitude.

Being responsible for your actions

We are all humans; no matter what, everyone sometimes commits errors and makes mistakes. The difference lies when we know the truth and act honestly and how we react to the situation and error. It takes a lot more courage to accept the mistakes on our own. Covering it up is a lot easier, but standing up for yourself and being the owner, your behavior talks a lot about the individual and the trust he builds upon that. Masking it would cost more than the damage to expect; instead, accepting the mistake would pass on your strength and create confidence, and the chances of people forgiving your move are higher.

Accepting disappointments may seem complicated, but it is inevitable, as life is bound to disappoint us or people disappoint us, or we do it for them. The point is to accept it as a part of life and move on without taking them into heart, forgive, and try to forget because everyone is growing and experiencing a challenge and change.

Being told all these now, try to teach some new things for a simple and better lifestyle.

Read Every day

The only thing that has value in this competitive world is knowledge and skill. Books are a concentrated source of wisdom. The more books you read, the more wisdom you gain and expose yourself to a newer world. It is the best way for self-improvement. Hence, I recommend having a book buddy, sharing books, novels, or even kindle, and trying to build a new relationship with people who have a taste in reading, and the book you are reading speaks to what a person you are on the inside. Try but rent or buy a book every month.

Pick a new Hobby

Apart from the hobbies you have cultivated, is there a possibility of teaching a new one? A sport, an instrument, a craft, dancing. Your new hobby is your new companion and recreational activity. The curiosity to always learn something new will introduce us to more unexplored possibilities. People of different tastes and a whole new world get opened up for us, with more opportunities. It would require us to stretch from our comfort zone and step up for different physical, mental, or emotional aspects. But try to do something productive in your free time.

Skills improvement

A story of the woodcutter. Once upon a time, a woodcutter started his first day at work with his new ax. He could cut down a tree within half a day. The next day the same person did a similar job but took one full day. He could not complete his work on the third day and got extended to the next day. He tried focusing on hitting hard but later realized to sharpen his ax to decrease his hard work. Recognize your skills, whatever you are good at. It will help us level up, gain experience, and strengthen ourselves. Whatever you are good at, never stop doing it, and never do it for free.

Set up Goal

In a business meeting, I heard the director giving a speech to his sub-ordinates, telling him that with whatever your income maybe try to purchase something, even a small wallet, shoes, a good company cloth, so such small accomplishments will build in us the confidence to achieve our bigger goals. So having such small achievable goals will help us gain our strength back and help us grow on a larger scale.

Engage in a productive Activity

Learn a new game to improve your performance and intellect, like chess. Start writing a handbook of your activities. It tracks your routine and time distribution in your day.

Meditate

As it is widely known, meditation helps us calm our consciousness and improve focus and overall mental health. This improves our sleep cycles, quality of sleep, and productivity and helps us build a kinder environment.

Take a break

Tedious work, monotonous tasks, and mundane lives will drain the energy out of us. Self-improvement is about knowing to take a break a come back fresh. It is to recognize the need to break from this monotony, take a walk, travel, have a different experience, and come back. One can not work efficiently if not energized intermittently.

Gratitude

Although being discussed an ample number of times, gratitude is the least followed practice. Before going to bed, remember to be thankful for your life and the things in your life. It will have a more significant effect on our mindset. Research has proven that incorporating gratitude will help ward off stress, improve sleep and cultivate more positive social relationships.

Anna Hennings, MA, a mental performance coach in sports psychology, recommends using the acronym GIFT to help you identify what you’re grateful for.

When thinking about things you’re grateful for, look for instances of:

Growth: personal growth, like learning a new skill

Inspiration: moments or things that inspired you

Friends/family: people who enrich your life

Tranquility: the small, in-between moments, such as enjoying a cup of coffee or a good book

Surprise: the unexpected or a nice flavor

When listing things you’re grateful for, notes Hennings. Make sure also to note why that thing makes you grateful. Gratitude goes a long way in shaping the new you!