Here are five great things we would all benefit from doing in 2019. Little lifestyle changes which will make a huge difference to your world and the world that we live in.
1. COMPLAIN LESS
We all love a good moan, and I find myself complaining about stupid things just as much as the next person, but we need to wake up. This year, let’s all try and remember how blessed we are. Let’s try and be more grateful, see the positive. Realise that, if you’re reading this from your smartphone, tucked up in bed, with a roof over your head, food in your fridge, and a job to go to, you are one of the most well-off people in the world, and you have opportunities open to you that some people will only ever dream of. So, let’s quit complaining. Quit moaning. People in this world are suffering and starving every day, and we are being ungrateful.
2. BE KINDER TO OTHERS
I know it’s easy to get frustrated at other people. I know people are weird and irritating and they do things which annoy us but please, let’s try to take it easy on each other. We all make mistakes, we all do things now and then which don’t necessarily comply with our true character. We try to be good and do good things, but sometimes we mess up. All of us. It’s called being human. So let’s stop being so quick to judge and to assume things about people. If we all just took a little more time, had a little more patience, a little more understanding, maybe life would be easier. Instead of jumping to conclusions and assuming everything about a person when they inconvenience you, why not just take a step back, give them a smile, and let it go? It will not affect you in a week’s time. It won’t even affect you tomorrow. So trust me when I say, it does not matter. Life is far too short to waste even a second of it being frustrated and angry about superficial things. Let’s all try to relax, and be a bit more forgiving.
3. BE KINDER TO YOURSELF
While you’re running around being kind to others, don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Don’t be afraid to put yourself first more often. Not in a selfish way, but in a ‘I need to look after myself today’ kind of way. If you need some ‘you’ time, you take it. If that means cancelling plans and cuddling up on the sofa with your favourite book, do it. You don’t have to justify it, you don’t have to explain it. You just have to look after yourself.
Oh, and one more thing, stop being so negative about yourself. Stop looking in the mirror and criticising everything that you see. Stop reinforcing your negative thoughts with negative words, always talking yourself down. Start waking up and telling yourself that you are strong, you are beautiful, you are powerful and you are good. When you stand in the mirror and you wish your butt was a little bigger, or your shoulders were a little narrower, or your waist was a little smaller, I want you to think of this, I want you to stop, and I want you to remind yourself that you are utterly perfect just the way you are.
4. EDUCATE YOURSELF
You know what blows my mind? When people say they’re bored. So long as you’ve got access to the internet, or books, or PEOPLE, you have access to pretty much all of the information in the world. How can you ever be bored?! You could pick up your phone and learn about Greek mythology, about how mountain ranges are formed, how to speak a new language, how to play the guitar, whatever it is that takes your interest. All you have to do is read and research. And it’s totally free. Don’t you think that’s incredible?
Why not take advantage of that this year? Instead of spending your evenings watching TV and scrolling through Instagram, why not learn something? Why not educate yourself? Leaving school or getting a university degree does not mean that you are ‘done’ with learning. You will never be ‘done’ with learning. There is so much knowledge and history and LIFE out there, and you’ve got billions of years to catch up on, so get reading.
5. LOOK AFTER OUR WORLD
You might not see it in your own environment, but we are destroying our planet my friends. You may think that you’re just one tiny person who isn’t making much of an impact. But you are. So make that impact good. Recycle. Give your old clothes to charity shops. Stop using so much plastic. Reduce your meat intake. Reduce your dairy intake. Walk more. Drive less. Turn off your lights. Don’t waste water. Do your best to behave in a way that is thoughtful of a world bigger than yourself. And if you’re struggling to realise why this is so important, see number four.