10 Ways To Live A Better Life

I’ve been re-evaluating my life the last couple of years, and I’ve made various changes in order to try to better my life and myself and thought I’d share! These are all things that I was taught growing up and needed a bit of a reminder in order to get my life straightened out. While there are many more ways to live a better life, these are my top 10 for now:

1. Free yourself from negative people

There’s nothing worse than a Debbie Downer, and I’ve noticed that having a lot of negative people in your life can often cause unwanted and completely unnecessary drama. That’s not to say that they aren’t good people, I’ve known a couple of people who meant well but for one reason or another it just never went well, no matter how hard we all tried to do or be good. And since removing myself from those situations spurred by negative people, my life has become a bit calmer.

2. Let go of those who are already gone

There’s no point in living in the past, and doing so can often times block you from moving forward. So figure out what it is that’s holding you back and let it go. It’s not easy letting go of things, especially things like friendships or relationships, but ultimately you have to do what’s best for you. Remember, negativity does no good!

3. Show everyone kindness and respect

We live in a world where most people are looking out for Number 1!! While you should put yourself first you should also take other people into consideration. Be kind to other people. You don’t really know what they’re going through, so all you have are those few moments that you share together. Wouldn’t it be better to try to make them good? Being kind can be as simple as opening a door for someone and smiling as they walk through.  Be respectful, whether it’s of a person’s feelings, their space or just their general well-being, show some respect.

4. Encourage others and cheer for them

Again, forget the negativity. Have you ever gone out with friends and realized that most of the night was spent talking about bad things or complaining? The next time you go out pay close attention to what topics are brought up and what comments are made. How much is good or positive? And what does that say about you? Instead of talking trash about people or situations we should be looking at the positive side of things, and figure out how to make them better.

5. Forgive people and move forward

I try not to hold grudges, but find some things are harder to forgive than others. But going along with #1, in order to rid yourself of negative people you must rid yourself of negative feelings and grudges are toxic. Don’t hold on to anything that doesn’t make you a better person.

6. Keep your promises and tell the truth

I am not the best at keeping my promises, which is why I try hard not to make any promises I can’t keep. Nothing is guaranteed in life, and sometimes shit happens. I’ve found that the best way to go about this is to just be honest.

7. Say what you mean and mean what you say

It seems simple enough right? But then again I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and take them at their word. If you tell me that you want to hang out more I’m going to try to include you in plans. Just don’t let me find out later that you were just ‘trying to be nice’, because it isn’t nice at all.

8. Allow others to make their own decisions

Sometimes people just need to vent and they aren’t necessarily looking for advice on what to do. If I need help from someone I’ll come out and ask for it. Most of the time the answers to my life decisions are pretty obvious. I just have to accept that it’s on ME to make things happen.

9. Talk a little less, and listen a little more

Have you ever been out with someone for an extended period of time and realized that you haven’t said anything? Are you bothered by it? I can be more on the quiet side, I like to listen to people talk and for whatever reason people like to talk to me. There’s something about silence that makes some people really uncomfortable so they feel the need to fill the void with their own thoughts. It can be interesting sometimes because you can learn a lot about a person when they talk. So the next time you’re out with someone just let them talk and see what happens, put those listening skills to good use!

 10. Ignore destructive, hurtful commentary

This personally is a really hard one. Sometimes people need to just speak and what they say isn’t always good or has any real purpose behind it. It can be hard to distinguish what is constructive and what isn’t. But know that no matter what you decide to do with it, it should make you better.

Have I given you enough cliché’s yet? If not I’m sure I can come up with a lot more. But maybe I’ll save those for another day. In the end, focus on getting rid of the negative and build yourself (and others) up with the positive.

What do you find yourself doing in order to live a better life?