The power of Self-Discipline and why you should have it

Dedicating your precious time to help make someone’s day even better is one of the best ways you can use it.

I personally try to do a minimum of 1 act of kindness a day, whether it’s randomly buying my little brother his favourite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream or making my sister breakfast just in time after she finishes her workout. These random acts of kindness lift my spirits when I see their reaction to them. Seeing a loved one gleam with happiness from something I’ve done for them is an indescribable feeling that I always want to keep getting.

It doesn’t only have to be a loved one you can share your love with! A stranger will appreciate your love too.

“The secret to living is giving”

Tony Robbins

Below are 10 different small acts of kindness that have the power to lift anybody’s spirit.

1. Compliment them unexpectedly

It definitely feels great when someone compliments your new shoes or your new hair colour but unexpected compliments can delve even further, such as telling your friend you really enjoy their outlook on life or telling a new mum she’s doing an amazing job. We all daily think of split-second compliments when we see or hear something that we like about someone but don’t always tell them. This could be for many reasons such as :

👉 You think that the person won’t accept the compliment which would make you feel awkward.
👉 You’re introverted.
👉You rehearse the compliment in your head so much that you talk yourself out of telling the person.

I urge anyone who has positive thoughts when they think about others to share them, as it will make you happy and will definitely do the same for them.

2. Give them a surprise gift

Who doesn’t love getting gifts? I definitely do! Gifts are not just for birthdays and other special occasions. Sending someone a random gift because you saw something that reminded you of them has LOADS more meaning than the conventional gift-giving protocol. Everyone gets satisfaction from knowing that they have been thought about. What have you seen or read recently that would be the perfect gift for someone you know?

Want to gift someone something useful and practical? Check out my printables here > PRINTABLES

3. Let someone know how much they mean to you

Life’s too short to conceal your feelings, whether it’s your partner, your friend or your sibling. Letting them know how you feel and the impact they have on your life is the best way to build on your relationships as both you and the person feel loved, and who doesn’t want to feel that?

A lot of people go through life assuming that their feelings for others are self-evident.

It’s not.

No one is a mind reader and you never know how long someone has got left on this Earth. Let them know how much you mean to them.

4. Pay for someone’s meal

This doesn’t necessarily have to be for someone who can’t afford a meal, it could be for the person behind you in the line or you could buy ice cream and give it to the first person you see on the street. The act of surprising somebody with food (FREE FOOD at that) is a heartfelt gesture that anyone would appreciate.

That would definitely make my day 😂

5. Hi 5 a stranger

Now, I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve heard some awkward stories of people doing this, whether the person just smiles back and doesn’t Hi 5 or they just simply look at you like you’re mad. But, I’ve also heard great stories of other people Hi-fiving back with huge smiles on their faces and getting excited at the fact they were chosen by a random stranger to engage with. Some people like being noticed in public and others don’t, don’t get discouraged if someone doesn’t reciprocate the same energy you give, there’s someone out there who will.

6. Go out your way to make someone laugh

This one is really fun. Whether you’re a natural-born comedian or someone who loves to repeatedly search up “Dad jokes” to make someone laugh. Going out of your way to make someone laugh so hard they think that they’re dying is both as beneficial for you as it is for them. Have you ever had one of those laughing fits with your friends where you both keep adding stuff to the joke that makes it even funnier and you end up on the floor with a severe stomach cramp? I hope you have because it’s the best type of laughter!

Here is a couple of Dad jokes I’ve regrettably heard in my time:

1. Q. What’s 8?

A. 0 with a belt.

2. Q. Why did the picture go to jail?

A. Because it was framed. 🙄

And my personal favourite…

3. Q. What do you call a woman who sets fire to all her debts?

A. Bernadette

I know, I know. 🤦‍♀️

7. Give surprise notes

My family has a lovely habit of leaving handwritten notes on each other’s beds for numerous reasons such as:

👉 One of us is having a hard time and needs a pick me up.
👉Something great has happened and want to remind them how proud we are.
👉Came across an interesting/motivational quote.

Leaving someone a surprise message is a great way to let someone know that you’re thinking of them, and it’s a keepsake that can be kept forever. Think about someone who has done something amazing recently or is going through a hard time and what you can say to uplift them.

8. Bake for someone

Given that I’ve been in the baking industry for about a decade, this definitely needed to be on the list! Over the years I’ve seen how baked goods have filled people’s hearts with joy and actually make some people cry (in a good way I promise). Going out your way to go to the supermarket to buy all the ingredients, to then get home and bake which usually results in your kitchen looking like a tornado hit it (always remember to look at the setting of your mixer before you start, it gets the best of us). You’ll put a lot of work in and it will show with whatever you make, so get your bake on.

Pop me an email if you want me to share some baking tips and tricks!

9. Help someone network

We’ve all heard it before…“It’s not what you know it’s who you know”. It’s vital to network in both your personal life and if you have one, your business life. Introducing two or more people together because you know their skills will complement each other or they can benefit each other’s lives in one way or another, is a great way to get things going. Whether it’s helping someone find a business partner or simply someone to go the gym with. Being that bridge in connecting people together can cause life-changing moments to happen. Wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?

10. Ask someone if you can help them with their errands

If you’re lucky enough to have some free time on your hands helping somebody out can take a load off their mind, whether it’s driving someone to the shop or helping someone pack for a vacation, no one is going to say no if you’re trying to make their lives easier for them for the sake of just being a great person. Time is precious, so instead of letting it slip you by go out of your way to help somebody in need and show them how much you care.

Those are my top 10 ultimate ways to make someone’s day. Whether you pick all 10 or just one, I guarantee that implementing any one of these tips into your life is going to brighten a few people’s days!

Which one are you looking forward to doing?

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Want to be successful in life? Learn how to have Self-discipline.

Will Smith once said: “Self-discipline is self-love” which I couldn’t agree with more. It equates to you telling yourself “ I love myself enough not to do XYZ” or “ I love myself enough to do XYZ”

Having self-discipline means having the ability to make a conscious decision regardless of your emotional state and follow through with it. Imagine all the things you could achieve with that capability. Think about all the times you have told yourself you were going to do something and you either ended up not doing it at all or did it for a few days and thought “ to hell with it” and went back to your old routine.

How different do you think your life would be if you had stuck at the habits and goals you promised yourself you would?

There’s no need to worry about it now, the time has gone. Let’s start looking forward to the future.

The fact that you’re reading this tells me you’re not dead which means you still have a chance to do everything that you’ve promised yourself that you were going to achieve. Self-discipline isn’t something you’re born with (how awesome would that be) It’s rather something that gets developed over time by creating daily rituals that subsequently helps you to achieve your goals. Having Self-discipline requires you to proactively train yourself to follow a specific set of rituals and standards that help you shape your thoughts and behaviours to what you need to become your version of success.

What are rituals you ask?

Rituals are conscious, deliberate and consistent actions that help you build habits over a period of time. We all have daily rituals that we don’t even think about such as brushing your teeth every morning or watching your favourite show at the same time every week (The Real Housewives Of Atlanta is a guilty pleasure of mine).

So what do rituals have to do with Self-discipline?

Developing a set of rituals can help you re-focus your mind on what’s most important, allowing you to work with a deeper sense of purpose, dedication and urgency within your life which will eventually boost your levels of productivity. There are many rituals you can start to improve your self-discipline, here’s a list of daily rituals that will drastically improve your chances of wealth and success.

1. Practice gratitude

We all get lost in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life which makes it easy to lose sight of what we should be grateful for on a daily basis. Taking time out of your day to express gratitude for what you already have and for what you have already accomplished gives you the opportunity to reflect on what matters most in your life.

As a personal favourite, I enjoy reciting things I’m grateful for within the first 30 minutes of waking up. It makes me feel better about my day and allows me to let go of any negative energy that I’m feeling.

There’s nothing too small in your life to be grateful for. The sun rays on your face when you wake up, your partner giving you a kiss on the cheek before you leave the house and your pet sleeping peacefully at the bottom of your bed are a few small things that may go unnoticed but make a great day nonetheless.

2. Meditate first thing in the morning

Meditation is a technique of resting the mind to reach a state of consciousness that is very different from your normal waking state. Daily meditation practices can help reduce anxiety, lower stress, increase happiness and help you develop an attitude of gratitude (which helps with my first point)

Meditating first thing in the morning helps set a productive and restful tone for the rest of the day. Before you say “I don’t have the time” Let me tell you this… you really do. Wake up 5-10 minutes earlier than usual so that you’re free of distractions then relax and get started.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and meditation? Check out my eBook The keys to self-mastery here > Damn straight I do

3. Exercise

I really hope you didn’t sigh when you read that, haha. Exercise has many positive effects on both the mind and body, it stimulates the release of endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body similar to morphine. Whether you prefer a morning or evening routine finding time in the day to workout gives you time to decompress and feel good about yourself.

Exercising is one of the best habits to adopt if you want to live a healthy lifestyle.

Think about what changes you can make to your lifestyle today to help you live a longer and healthier life.

4. Reading

If you don’t read regularly already, deciding what to read/not getting distracted easily while reading can be difficult. Don’t let that discourage you, starting with a page a day is better than not starting at all. If you’re totally not into reading, then you can listen to informative podcasts and audio books.

Q. So why should I make reading part of my daily routine?
A. The most successful people are always learning. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were once asked about which superpower they could choose if they could have any superpower in the world and they both said “Speed reading”. Of all the superpowers in the world they could have chosen, both these billionaires chose reading as it was incremental part of their success.

5. Get out of your comfort zone

It’s hard I know, but making an effort each day by doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone has many positive benefits and I’ll tell you why.

👉 You will boost your self-confidence.
👉 New challenges and different experiences rewire your brain and make it more adaptable and stronger.
👉 You’ll become more resilient and will be able to handle anything that comes your way.
👉 You’ll learn a lot more about yourself and what you’re capable of.

There’s no better way to grow and learn more of what you’re capable of than stepping out of your comfort zone. Creating change is hard as your brain is wired to expect the worst-case scenario due to the uncertainty of the outcome. However, if you’re always working within your norm you’ll never know what you’re truly capable of, and this is what I’m here to help you find out!

Check out my Getting out of your comfort zone mini-course here > HELP ME GET OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

These are just a few of the rituals that you can start putting into practice to put you on the first step in growing and developing yourself into a well-rounded and successful person. Whether you start off with 1 a day or 5, you’ve got this!

Charles Duhigg author of The Power Of Habit said “Once our brains are conditioned to incorporate habit, we use little to no brainpower on that particular aspect of our day; it’s as almost as if we’re sleeping during our waking hours”.

This is why it’s important to live intentionally. When you’re consciously unaware of what you’re doing day in and day out you’ll never be certain what kind of habits you’re adopting and how they’re having an impact on your life.

This is why daily activities such as journaling and mediation are important. It’s just you and your thoughts. It’s the best way to know and understand yourself better.

FAIL YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

Self-Discipline is the act of trying, failing and trying again. Don’t think that people who are Self-disciplined don’t have off days, whether that off day is scoffing down 10 doughnuts instead of going to the gym or spending half their day scrolling through social media instead of working on their business plan, nobody is perfect and things you don’t want to happen, inevitably happen. It’s having the ability to learn what went wrong and bounce back from it quickly is what really matters.

According to a study by Stanford University, the amount of willpower a person has is determined by their beliefs. If you believe that you have a limited amount of willpower you most likely will not get past those limits. If you do not place a limit on your self-control you are likely to drain yourself with less meaningful tasks before meeting your goals.

Never fear failure as it is inevitable, pain is part of the process. Learn to fail forward to success and worry about becoming a better person today than you were yesterday.

How do you do that? By failing over and over again.

Heather’s top tip: Always remember that you don’t have to be great at something to start, but you have to start in order to be great

“If you don’t have 10 minutes to work on yourself every morning, then you don’t have a life”

Tony Robbins

Which rituals do you currently do to improve your Self-discipline? Let me know in the comments 🙂

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Getting picked last for a dodgeball team, being told “I think we should just be friends” or “you’re not a right fit for the job role” are all forms of rejection that can hurt like hell.

Rejection can feel like a pool filled with different emotions such as; anger, shame, sadness and grief. Sometimes people don’t even understand why they have been rejected in the first place. This can lead to a downward spiral of negative emotions.

Nobody is immune to rejection. When you put yourself out there you face the possibility that you may not make the cut.

Scientists placed people in functional MRI machines and asked them to recall a recent rejection and they discovered that it activated the same areas of the brain as physical pain. This is why even small rejections can feel bigger than they are because it feels like actual physical pain. Damn.

Not only is rejection disappointing but it can make you feel like something is wrong with you. If you get rejected enough times it can heavily affect your self-esteem, making you doubt yourself and your place in this world.

Rejection knows no boundaries. It can invade your romantic, social and job situations alike. Not only can it make you feel inadequate, it also communicates the sense to somebody that they’re not loved or wanted or not in some way valued. Which is obviously not the case.

Guy Winch, Ph.D., psychologist and author notes that many times the rejection does 50% of the damage and we do the other 50% of the damage. “We start with this high volume of negative self-talk and criticism that takes the rejection to another level” he says. 

If you deal with rejection the wrong way such as ignoring your emotions, lashing out at people and vowing to never leave your comfort zone again can only negatively impact your personal and professional relationships. Fortunately enough, there are ways you can deal with rejection that will make you come out stronger.

Dealing with rejection is a skill that can only be developed over time. The more you try, fail and dust yourself off to get back up again the more you’ll be able to cope with the word “No”.

Different types of rejection

Social rejection – This type of rejection can occur at any age and usually begins in childhood. Social rejection can include bullying and alienation in school or in the workplace. Those who challenge the status quo of society are more prone to social rejection.

“Humans have a fundamental need to belong. Just as we have needs for food and water, we also have needs for positive and lasting relationships”. Says C. Nathan DeWall, PhD.

Rejection in a relationship – People may experience rejection while dating or in a relationship, it can come in the form of withholding affection or intimacy. When an individual decides to end the relationship this can cause the other person to feel rejected. The suffering that comes with this type of rejection is arguably harder than the other types. It can leave you speechless and feel physically sick. The intensity of the reaction to the rejection will gradually fade. You’ll have your good days and your bad days but little by little you will start to enjoy life again. I promise.

Familial rejection – Rejection from one’s family (typically parental rejection) is likely to affect an individual throughout life. We are often taught that our family’s love is unconditional, so when a family member rejects another member it can be excruciatingly painful.

At the end of the day, you didn’t ask to come into this world, so feeling rejected by one or both of the people who brought you in it can make you feel out of place.

Familial rejection can look like:

-Parents who avoid spending quality time with their children
-Failing to show interest in their children
-Limiting privileges without a reason
-Parents who refuse to follow through on the promises they made

Romantic rejection- Romantic rejection can occur when a person asks for a date and is denied. It takes courage to reach out and approach someone with who you wish to begin a new relationship. When met with rejection it brings up not only frustration but also shame.

Life’s too short to not shoot your shot. If they’re not interested, move on. There’s someone out there for you.

 Here are some tips for coping with rejection:

Acknowledge your emotions
“If you don’t know what hurt you, you will bleed on people who didn’t cut you” – Unknown

Emotions are complex. Often if we experience rejection we naturally want to create some armour to protect ourselves to prevent more emotional pain. Wearing layers of body armour prevents connection with others and does not contribute to developing security. It creates a false sense of safety in a controlled environment which is not realistic.

Rather than deny, suppress or ignore your emotions, you need to acknowledge them. Having the confidence to deal with uncomfortable situations head-on is essential to coping with discomfort in a healthy way.

Passing off your pain as “no big deal” will only prolong it and make you more fearful of rejection. The key is to be able to face your pain.

See rejection as personal growth
Getting rejected is proof of your effort. It’s a sign that you’re willing to try new things even if they don’t plan out how you want them to. It’s a sign that you’re aiming to live your life to the fullest knowing that there is a chance you can get knocked down to the ground.

If you have never been rejected you are living life way in the comfort zone my friend. How will you know that you’re pushing limits if you don’t get a few knockbacks here and there?

Working hard day in day out doesn’t exempt you from failure. You’re not always going to be rewarded for your hard work. It’s a hard pill to swallow but it’s true.

Start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and watch how your life unfolds.

Focus on something beyond yourself
In the immediate aftermath of rejection all you want to do is focus on what happened and what you may have done wrong in order to be rejected. “but I just don’t get it, how could this happen to me” train of thoughts will leave you internally suffering for no reason. Sometimes it’s best to just focus on something beyond yourself to help get your mind out of that rut.

Ask a family member or a friend if there’s anything that you can help them with, volunteer at a food shelter, plant flowers in the community garden. There are a number of ways you can ease the process of rejection by getting up and focusing on the good things you can do in your life.

This doesn’t mean you should mask your pain and pretend it never happened. It’s acknowledging that you can’t change the past and dwelling on it is only going to make you suffer. Focus on something positive and get that spring back in your step again.

Look after the basics
The feeling of rejection can have both physiological and physical effects. So, it’s best to remember to look after number 1. Make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat well and go and get some exercise.

Trying to move forward when you’re still in emotional turmoil will never end well. Take some time to process your thoughts and feelings instead of pushing them away.

Keeping it in can affect you mentally and physically. It’s your responsibility to deal with your feelings, just make sure not to push yourself before you’re truly ready to let go.

Go at your own speed, don’t listen to people who say, “Omg you’re not over that yet!?” They don’t know what’s going on in your heart and your head. Only YOU truly know who you are. Don’t abide by other people’s timelines. Move when you are wholeheartedly ready to move. Don’t rush the process.

Practice a simple self-affirmation exercise
1. List five qualities or attributes that you have and that you really believe are valuable.
2. Pick one of those five things and write a brief passage about one of them (about 1-2 paragraphs will be okay). Elaborate on why it’s an important and valuable quality.

This simple exercise will remind you of your self-worth and make you feel infinitely better about yourself and become more resilient to rejection that comes thereafter.

We all have a fundamental need to belong. When we get rejected we feel a disconnection which adds to our emotional pain. Finding our way back to those who love us or reaching out to members of groups who value and respect us has been found to soothe emotional pain after rejection.

You are not alone in your pain. Feel your feelings, accept your feelings then seek help if needed.

How do you deal with rejection?

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Your sense of self-esteem impacts EVERY area of your life. Your relationship with your family, your significant other, your career, your physical and mental health are all reflections of your self-esteem.

Even though having high self-esteem is indeed a good thing it’s only good in moderation. Having very high self-esteem – like that of a narcissist- isn’t something to aim for.

Even though people with very high self-esteem feel great about themselves they tend to be extremely vulnerable to criticism and negative feedback about themselves and their work.

When you take everything personally and avoid constructive criticism like the plague, you stunt your growth. You’re never going to stop making mistakes, so choosing to ignore the help of someone showing you the right way will affect you negatively in both your personal and professional life.

The only way to learn is to accept guidance and feedback. You’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you believe you know it all and no one can do it better than you because the reality is… there’s someone else out there that is.

Why is building self-esteem so important?

The more self-esteem you have the more “inner stability” you have. When your opinion of yourself goes up you stop trying to seek validation and attention from others.

Your level of self-esteem influences the choices and decisions that you make. In other words, self-esteem serves as a motivational function by making it more or less likely that you will take care of yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.

When you have low self-esteem you may hide away from going to social events, avoid things you find challenging and be hesitant to try anything new. In the short term, avoiding anything that takes you out of your comfort zone will make you feel safe at the time but in the long term it will eventually backfire. This is because you’re reinforcing underlying doubts and fears. You’re essentially teaching yourself that the only way to cope is by avoiding things.

Here are a few ways to help build your self-esteem so that you can thrive and live a life that reflects who you truly want to be. 

You deserve it girl! 

Change your story

We all have a narrative or a story that we have created about ourselves that shapes our self-perceptions which our core self-image is based on. Your level of self-esteem may have grown or been reduced by how people have treated you in your past. The good news is that you have control when it comes to increasing your self-worth. If you want to change your story you have to understand where it came from.

For example, was it a teacher who made you made you doubt your academic abilities? Changing your belief on not being good enough is pretty hard. When you decide to change the story about yourself you look into your past to see if there is evidence of the new story you want to create.

Continuing with the example above, if you have successfully completed school with excellent grades and moved onto higher education, this alone shows you that you have accomplished a lot despite what was said about you in the past, you then start to realise that you’re carrying a false narrative of yourself around.

“Sometimes automatic negative thoughts such as “you’re lazy” or “you don’t do anything right” can be repeated in your mind so often that you start to believe that it is true” says Jessica Koblenz, Psy.D. “These thoughts are learned which means that can be unlearned.”

When you label yourself as “not that person” that can achieve XYZ, you limit yourself on what you’re capable of achieving. Letting go of life-changing opportunities because you doubt that you have the capabilities to do well is only going to keep you in your box of safety wondering what life is like on the other side of living your true potential.

You’ve got one life, go get everything you deserve.

Identify your triggers

To increase your level of positive thinking, you need to recognise what places, people and things spark negative thinking. Is it that bad vibe “friend” that’s always got something to say about something or that annoying co-worker who’s always telling you what to do even though it isn’t their job? You can’t change certain situations, but you can change the way you react to them.

The next time you get mad, anxious or sad write down what caused it. After a time, you will start to see a pattern of what your triggers are and what you’re able to do about them.

When we know our emotional triggers, we can choose not to expose ourselves to situations that affect us negatively and harm our mental health.

We are not in control of what other people do, we can only control our thoughts and actions. Next time you’re sitting in a situation that you don’t want to be in, sit back and ask yourself:

Why am I here right now?

Is me being in this situation going to impact me negatively or positively?

The answers to the questions should tell you what your next action should be.

Acknowledge your success

Usually, people with low self-esteem disregard their success by chance. People with high self-esteem take the time to celebrate their success. They appreciate the praise given by others and thank them for their acknowledgment instead of downplaying it.

Your success was not by chance, it was thorough hard work, dedication and persistence. You deserve to re receive every reward, recognition and praise that comes your way.

When you acknowledge what you’re good at, you become more confident about yourself, making you more likely to continue doing what brings you joy.

Whether you acknowledge your success by going out to dinner with friends, having a spa day, or buying something that’s been sitting in your online basket for days, take that time to enjoy how far you’ve come.

Recognising your success is a powerful motivator that reinforces the meaning behind all the hard work that you have done. This in turn boosts your self-esteem and motivates you to take the next step towards achieving the next goal.

Recognise that you are not your circumstances

Learn to differentiate your circumstances and who you are as a person. We are all born with infinite potential. To believe we are anything less than that is a false belief that is learned over time.

It’s not uncommon to think that what has happened to you reflects who you are. Didn’t get the job offer you wanted, now you’re not good enough. Messed up your diet, and now you’re someone who has no self-discipline.

FALSE

Taking a situation and associating it with who you are can only lead to your downfall. Controlling what happens to you is not easy, life gets in the way and can throw you off course. No matter what your circumstances may be, you have to learn to start separating who you are and what you think about yourself from what happens to you.

Someone who is devoted to going to the gym and keeping fit can still miss a day and eat snacks. Someone who is good at their job can still get fired.

Everyone wins some and loses some. Do not become your loses.

Celebrate the small stuff

You got up on time this morning. Tick. You flipped your omelette perfectly. Tick. Your downward dog was better than last week. Tick.

We’ve been conditioned to only celebrate the big milestones and achievements and not acknowledge the “trivial wins” as they’re deemed as non-significant. This is far from the truth.

You’re really celebrating your habits. You’re celebrating the person you’re becoming by continuing your good habits. When you show appreciation for your small victories you show appreciation to yourself.

Celebrating your small wins is a great way to build confidence and feel better about yourself while at the same time keep you motivated to carry on. Every success you earn is a success to your overall dream. You wouldn’t have got to where you are now without all those small wins, so acknowledge them and celebrate them.

Let me leave you with one last valuable tip…

One way for people with low self-esteem to start to appreciate what it would be like to have higher self-esteem is to consider how they feel about the external things they value in life. E.g. Some people really love buying, collecting and using make-up because it’s important to them.

They take pride in their collection and school people on the texture and application of different products. They watch countless makeup videos to help perfect their look and try new ideas because that’s their idea of heaven. Self-esteem is like that, except that love and proudness you feel is targeted at yourself.

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The ultimate guide for coping with change

Many people spend a lot of effort trying to avoid change but change is an unavoidable constant in our lives. Sorry to break it to you if you didn’t already know that. If you can learn to cope with change, you’ll lower your risk of having anxiety and depression. This is because the feeling of not being in control of your life can feel unbearable and paralysing which can deeply affect your mental health. No one likes the feeling of knowing that their efforts are fruitless.

If you can’t cope with change, only a minor amount of stress can make you feel overwhelmed about any aspect of your life. Making you more likely to struggle when trying to accomplish goals. Let’s face it, the bigger your goals the more pressure you’ll face. So if the thought of any drastic change in your life overwhelms you then you will only manage to cope with setting small goals that probably won’t get you very far.

Studies have shown that people cope with change in their lives in two ways: Escape coping or Control coping.

Escape coping is based on avoidance. You will take specific actions to avoid the difficulties of change. For example, you could deliberately show up late for important meetings or constantly avoid going to interviews for a new job.

Control coping on the other hand is proactive and positive. You refuse to behave like a “victim” of change and embrace it instead by managing your feelings, getting support and doing whatever you can to be a part of the change.

In reality, most of us respond to major change with a mixture of escape and control coping. Control coping is a better coping mechanism to use as it’s impossible to avoid the reality of inevitable change for long without it damaging your mental health.

If you’re able to cope with change, you’re most likely resilient (good on you). Though your environment and genes may influence your level of resilience that amount is not set in stone and can be increased no matter where your resilience level is. Coming out of your comfort zone and practicing stopping the negative thoughts that come in your mind can help boost your ability to deal with change and help you create a life that is adaptive to new places and unexpected life events.

Here are a few healthy practices to put in place to increase your level of resilience and coping with change.

1. Realise that good change can also cause stress

When we go through positive life changes such as getting the job you’ve been dreaming of or having a baby, it can still feel like a great deal of stress. Sometimes even dread. Bear in mind that even though you can be going through a positive change that change can still create stress just like a non-positive change. Stress is just your body’s way of dealing with change. It’s totally normal to feel this way when something good has happened, just don’t let it ruin the whole experience.

2. Check your thought patterns

In times of change, it’s easy for your mind to see everything in black and white or assume that the worse will occur. If you take the time to examine your thought patterns and assess how rational they actually are, it will eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress.

If you’re not sure how to slow down your mind then practice relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and deep breathing (there are some cool apps dedicated to relaxation such as Headspace and Calm). If you can feel more in control of your brain and how you can evaluate major change you’re on the right track to becoming more resilient.

3. Remember your priorities

Resilient people see change as an opportunity rather than something to fear. Transitions in life allow you to consider where your priorities lie. What’s really important to you? How do you really want to spend your time on this Earth? With a clear sense of your goals and values, you will find that your mind and body can be more resilient when it comes to the stressors of change.

Humans are social creatures by nature so experiencing a sudden change in your life alone can cause you to go into a meltdown. Talk to friends and family who have experienced similar changes or consider finding external support such as your community, a doctor or a counselor.

You can’t avoid change, but you can live a life of resilience. Embrace the transition and see this new challenge as an opportunity to thrive.

4. Give yourself a break

In times of change, you may feel overwhelmed and not in control. You may feel like you’re not living up to your expectations of yourself. You are allowed to have breaks and once in a while and do less than what is humanly possible. If you’re someone with an unbelievable work ethic then I know that taking breaks when you’re in your element can be extremely hard but all your heading to is burnout if you think taking breaks is unnecessary. Believe it or not but no one functions at 100 percent all the time. Part of living a productive lifestyle includes taking regular breaks such as taking 5-15 minute breaks every 60 minutes.

5. Evaluate your level of control

Sometimes it’s easy to fixate on a situation that you’re not in control of or on people who may never change their way of thinking. Rather than focus on the things you cannot control, resilient people focus on the things they can control. Evaluate your level of control in a situation by asking yourself “ What can I take responsibility for in this situation?” When you actively look for opportunities to work towards change that is possible, you’re less likely to feel stuck in difficult situations.

6. Ask yourself “What’s the worst thing that can happen”

We’re often scared of change because we’re scared of the unknown. A good way to deal with the unknown is to think things through… rationally. Imagine all of the possible outcomes both good and bad and write them down. Doing this puts things into perspective, as you’re able to see if you’re being rational about the situation at hand.

7. Redirect certainty

Uncertainty is the enemy of our biological impulses. If we are unsure whether an animal is a housecat or a bloodthirsty lion, we’re definitely going to be in trouble. Our brain doesn’t like the odds of equations with unknown variables, so it defaults to negative bias for safety.

To help soothe the uncertainty that’s causing your brain to fire off its stress responses, level the playing field with neutral self-talk phrases such as “Being uncertain simply means that I do not know the future. It does not mean that the future is bad.”

In summary

Since change is inevitable, embrace it. It can lead to beautiful opportunities, even if that change came from a deep loss. When we greet uncertainty and the unknown with self-love and care we have a better chance of maintaining good mental health during the changes that happen in our lives and finding our way to a future that holds many new adventures.

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“The purpose of life is a life of purpose”

Robin Sharma

Everyone has their own definition of what success is. Some people measure their success by the amount of money in their bank account, the power they have attained or the status they’ve achieved in society. Yet they still feel like something greater is missing in their life but have no clue how to figure out what it is or where to start.

Knowing your purpose is knowing the master plan for your life. Does that sound scary to you? Because I can definitely understand the overwhelm that would bring to anyone that has NO CLUE about what they want to do or where to even start. So don’t be overwhelmed if you have no clue what it is, A LOT of people don’t. There are people in their fifties and sixties that still don’t know what fulfills them. There is no time limit, however, the sooner you get on your road to self-discovery the better.

Our purpose emerges from the exploration of what we value most. When we start defining our purpose in life it’s best not to focus on how we’re going to attain it. When we identify and commit to our intentions the opportunities for achieving our purpose will start to arise. Defining our purpose helps us define our goals and allows us to focus on what’s truly important to us. Because if you don’t know what you want to achieve how can you set goals that are going to get you anywhere?

It’s the equivalent of getting into a car and just driving without having a destination. You’ll end up somewhere but you’ll get out of the car looking lost and confused because you have no clue how you got there and where you should go next.

I know that people push the “Just go, don’t dwell on things for too long and just live your life” which I personally partially agree with, but the organised and having a plan together a part of me shivers at the thought of just doing things without a well thought out plan.

The truth is, to succeed in this life you need to be a bit of both. You need to experiment, take risks ad see how far you can push yourself. At the same time, you need to be intentional with your time and ask yourself, where is this going to take me? Is this what I really want?. Taking action is amazing, it’s what I urge you to do but take action based on a plan that’s going to create the life that you want to live.

What is the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary? The answer to that is dependent on the importance you hold to the opinions of the outside world and what you want to achieve. The outside world doesn’t get to define who you are or what you are. The answer lies within you. We can all choose to step away from the ordinary path that our society promotes and step into an extraordinary life.

An extraordinary life is a choice to follow our own values, our own inner wisdom, our own intuition and to top it off, your very own version of success.

“My invitation to you is to begin living every moment as though you are miraculous and deserve to live an extraordinary life. Fake it if you must and keep faking it until it’s real to you. The gift you will be giving yourself is a lifelong journey of discovery, one that is infinite and infinitely rewarding. Begin the journey. Today. This moment. Now.

Robert White

What do you think it looks like to live a false life?

Here’s an example:

You’re forced into going to university to study to become a lawyer because your parents would love to boast about having a lawyer in the family and they know you can make a substantial amount of money with this career choice. However your dream is to become a chef, but you’re scared to disappoint your parents so you decide to live the life they think you should live to avoid arguments and making them unhappy.

Your best friend detests your partner of choice and convinces you to leave them in which you end up with a partner who everyone likes but they don’t fulfill you the same way and feel pressured to start a family that you don’t know if you want.

You end up in debt, depressed, unfulfilled and full of self-doubt. Does this sound like the life of someone who was able to plan and create the life that they wanted to live? Absolutely not. This is the life of allowing outside influences to determine how you should live based on their own opinions and values despite you not feeling the same.

This isn’t the type of life that anyone should live. Yet there are people who both willingly and unwillingly choose to live their life based on the opinions of other people and the preferences of society either because they are unaware of what they truly want or they’re scared to go against the grain.

“ You won’t be fulfilled if you don’t have children”
“ You won’t be fulfilled if you don’t get married”
“ You won’t be fulfilled if you don’t make X amount of money”

These are common misconceptions we may get told in our lives. No one should make you feel bad for not doing something that they think will fulfill YOUR LIFE. Seeking third-party approval and people-pleasing is one of the main causes of internal conflict, depression and stress.

What gives you purpose is personal to you. Our purpose in life is the intended result of our determination, intention and focus.

To find your purpose you need to get to know yourself on a deeper level. Listen to your inner core, write down all the things you want, all the things you want to change about your current situation and what your ideal life looks like. Only then can we figure out an action plan on how to move forward.

When you understand your values and know what you believe in, your confidence and sense of self-worth skyrockets. When you know what you want to achieve and you have a plan of action for it, nothing and no one should be able to stop you.

What are your core values?

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are” – Roy Disney
Your core values reflect the fundamental choices of who you want to be. Having well-defined core values helps us avoid making choices that work against who we want to be.

When we understand our core values the process of our decision-making improves, and our lives become a lot easier when we live according to ALL our core values not just some of them. A life lived in alignment with all your core values results in balance and harmony. (Ahh bliss)

Finding your purpose isn’t something that happens overnight, and it can be challenging to live a life of purpose, but living your life on your own terms and fulfilling your own goals will be the most rewarding and most fulfilling thing you will ever do.

Here are a few ways to get you started on the right track to find your purpose:

1. Live in integrity with your core values

If you want to know what’s going to make you feel alive with energy every morning you need to know what you stand for. The best way to get to know what you stand for is to get clarity on what you value. What’s important to you? What do you truly care about? Self-awareness is key. Check out my eBook The Keys to Self-mastery where I dive deep into self-awareness and how it’s the first step to becoming a true master of yourself.

2. Live in the moment

While you’re working on finding your purpose don’t forget to live in the moment. Cherish every moment and seek to live life without any regrets. You don’t want these years to fly by and feel bad when you’re older that you didn’t take in the moments you should have. When you’re cutting fruit to put in your smoothie, be in the moment. When you’re at the supermarket looking for flowers to buy to cheer up the room, be in the moment. When you set up a candle-lit bubble bath for yourself, be in the moment. Don’t take these small moments for granted.

3. Avoid the need for validation

A lot of people fear living up to their full potential because of judgment and the fear of being rejected by others. The only real validation worth pursuing is the validation of yourself.

Allow time to transform your dreams into reality without involving a lot of people on the journey if you fear that you don’t have a lot of supportive people around you.

Heather’s top tip: Although it’s good to get inspired by others remember that what works for others might not work for you. Only you know exactly how you truly feel and what you want and even if you do try to imitate someone else’s journey/strategies there’s no guarantee that you’ll end up where they are. Focus on crafting your own journey rather than watching someone else because I guarantee you, they are not showing you the whole thing.

4. Acknowledge your strengths and use them

Focus on developing your strengths and learn to utilise them efficiently in a range of situations. Your strengths are the abilities, knowledge, personal attributes and skills you already have. However, to actually call it a strength you’ve got to be pretty damn good at it. Once you know what your strengths are look for ways and opportunities to use those abilities and qualities.

Want to learn more about core values and how to live with purpose?

Well, you’re in luck my love.

INTRODUCING… How To Live With Purpose mini-course

Learning how to live with purpose is the beginning of your life’s roadmap. When you don’t know where you are going you can end up in any direction and get lost in the land of “I don’t know who I am!”. What happens when you get lost? You get frustrated, overwhelmed and confused. This FREE mini-course will give you all the basics you need to start you on the path that leads you to the life that you want to live.

It’s waiting for you!

Course format: I’m going to take you on a four-week length mini-course that emphasizes on taking daily action on how to live with purpose. There are 4 modules within the mini-course with each module having its own set of training videos and resources.

You will focus on: Your WHY, What success means to you, Your personal core values, your passion Vs. Purpose + Plenty more.
What you will learn: How to map out your ideal life, How to incorporate living out your passions as well as your purpose in your daily life.
This is for you if: You crave meaning and fulfillment, you’re unsure of how to connect the dots between your dreams and reality, you’re ready to level up in your life, You’re frustrated because your lack of direction is holding you back from what you know you are capable of.
What you get inside: Exclusive resources, checklist, personal development challenge, value-packed short videos

Your joy is your responsibility and your responsibility alone. 

Don’t waste any more time just stumbling through life. Take charge and figure out what your ideal life looks like and work towards it with an awesome action plan.

Remember to check out The keys to self-mastery eBook if you want a step by step plan on how to become a true master of yourself so that you can shop up every day with the discipline and confidence to get what you want out of your life Get the full rundown here > The keys to self-mastery eBook

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Habits – Small decisions you make and actions you perform every day.

We all have habits, both good and bad. Habit-forming starts from a very young age, whether it was taking a nap every day after school or writing in your diary every night.

What’s one thing you have to do before your day can start? Is it drink a cup of coffee or tea? Eat an apple from the fruit bowl on your kitchen counter?

These behaviours form a part of your daily routine through your repetitive actions. The way your life is right now is a sum of your habits Scientists say that habits emerge because our brains are constantly looking for ways to save effort. Your brain isn’t trying to be in overdrive every second of the day, it wants to chillax.

Left to its own devices the brain will and make almost any routine a habit.

Cue | Habit | Reward

The process of habit formation that happens within our brains is a three-step loop. First there is the cue, routine then a reward.

Cue: A trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and start your habit.
Routine: The action of your habit which can be physical, emotional or mental.
Reward: Your brain is going to need that dopamine spike in order for your brain to figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future.

Over time this three-step loop will become more and more automatic.

Let’s take for example a smoker. When a smoker sees a cue – a pack of cigarettes, their brain starts anticipating a hit of nicotine. The sight of cigarettes alone is enough for the brain to crave a nicotine rush. If it doesn’t arrive the craving grows until the smoker unthinkingly reaches for the cigarette packet.

How many day‘s does it take to build a habit?

You have probably heard that it takes 12, 21, 33 or 66 days to create a habit. While having a number assigned to it may be encouraging, it can also be misleading.

Here’s the truth: There’s no real timeline.

If you go into the habit-building process expecting the habit to be automated in 33 days and come day 34 and you’re still putting in a conscious effort to start your “habit” you’re going to feel deflated.

The time it takes to establish a habit varies from person to person and habit to habit. Whether it takes you 40 days or 80 days, the exact timeline doesn’t really matter. What will matter is that you’ve created a new habit that you were able to stick to no matter how long it took.

That’s something to be proud of.

1% improvement/ low bar high bar

 Acquiring success does not require constant massive action. It’s easy to overestimate the power of one defining moment and not the value of making small improvements daily. Improving by 1% isn’t particularly noticeable but can be far more significant in the long haul. What starts as a small win accumulates into something greater than you can imagine.

It’s only when you look back years later that you see the value of the implementation of the good daily habits you started. This however can be a difficult concept to appreciate in daily life.

One healthy meal a day is better than not eating healthy at all. 10 minutes of reading is better than never picking up the book. 10 minutes of piano practice is better than none at all. It’s better to do less than you had hoped than nothing at all.

The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient in order to see results.

You won’t notice how 10 minutes of reading is slowly expanding your brain and you won’t see the effects of 1 day at the gym. You have to believe that what you’re doing daily will pay off in the end.

Don’t let instant gratification get in the way of your results. Stay the course. Your daily 1% improvements determine the difference between who you are and who you want to be. It doesn’t matter how successful you want to be right now, what matters is whether your habits are putting you on the right path for success.

Do habits just disappear?

Habits never really just disappear into thin air. They still live in the structure of your brain which can be of huge benefit to us. Could you imagine having to re-learn how to ride a bike or drive a car every two weeks? That would be a complete nightmare. However, our brains aren’t able to distinguish between a bad habit and a good habit. So, your bad habits are sitting alongside your good habits just waiting for a cue.

How do habits change?

Habits are created by putting together a cue, a routine, and a reward and then cultivating a craving that drives the three-step loop.

There are no specific steps that are guaranteed to work for everybody, but what we do know is that a habit cannot be eradicated it must instead be replaced. If we keep the same cue and the same reward a new routine can be inserted. Almost any behaviour can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same. For some habits however, there’s one other ingredient that’s necessary: belief.

Once you’re aware of how your habits work and recognize the cues and rewards, you’re halfway to changing it.

Changing habits is one of the most fundamental skills you can learn, as it allows you to reshape your life and reshape who you are.

Who wouldn’t want this transformational skill?

Why you should start small

You should start small so that your new normal adjusts without you noticing as much.

We all like the feeling of comfortability. When you’re used to a set of conditions, trying to deviate from them with a lot of changes will make you extremely uncomfortable. If you make small changes, you don’t notice it as much. After a while, you start to adapt to these small changes, and they become part of the conditions that you’re used to. This becomes your new normal. Changing your life in small steps rather than big ones sets you up for a better chance of succeeding as you are gradually changing to your new normal without much friction.

They’re easier to start

When you’re trying to make a big change in your life, it requires more brainpower, mental commitment, time and energy. If you’re someone like me who has a to-do list as long as their arm every week, then trying to find the time to add on new healthy habits can be difficult.

For example, if you make a mental note that you want to go to the gym for 2 hours every day you may achieve it for a couple of days (that’s if you remember that is) but it will take an extraordinary amount of effort on your part.

A small change for this example could be to plank 1 minute a day as soon as you wake up. Doing this makes it much easier to get started. You could start doing it right now in the middle of this blog post!

You then gradually build up to your end goal, which won’t be as daunting as you would have already built a habit related to it. Also known as “Micro habits” – A really small action that requires minimal motivation or effort to complete.

Remember: Making a habit easy to begin with will make it more likely to do it.

They’re easier to sustain

Let me give you an example:

If you’re someone who usually wakes up at midday but want to switch up your routine and start waking up at 5:30am straight away you’re going to have a VERY hard time trying to sustain that. You may last 1 or two days but that’s not creating a habit, it’s creating a fad. For you to make a drastic step in your sleep routine you need to gradually wake up earlier and earlier each day. Whether it’s 15 minutes, 20 minutes, or 30 minutes.

This type of practice can work in every situation. Whether you’re trying to go to the gym more often or trying to eat healthier. These small increments will make it much easier to sustain than going from 0-100.

When you attempt to create new habits and change old ones there will be times when you will have failed attempts. Don’t see it as a failure of you as a person but a way to learn more about yourself and what to do differently next time.

There will be a lot of trial and error but you won’t know until you try and see what works for you. The people who succeed at habits aren’t the people who never fail- they are the people who keep going after they fail.

What habit are you currently trying to develop?

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Are you currently living your life on autopilot and not getting much done? If so, you need to re-evaluate your daily routine.

A routine is a set of habits we develop as a daily practice. Whether you realise it or not, you already have many routines that you do on a daily basis. Whether it’s getting out of bed at a certain time every day or watching your favourite program in your favourite chair at the same time every day.

However, if you don’t take time to analyse each of your routines (morning, afternoon and evening) to see if they bring you closer to your goals then chances are, you’re not going in the right direction.

Having no routine or structure in your life is so much more draining mentally, physically and emotionally than not having a routine at all. Why waste your time figuring out what to do each day, when you can create a routine tailored to your wants and needs?

Lets explore what a good daily routine consists of and how to create an ideal routine that suits you.

First, as you know a routine means:  A routine is a sequence of actions that you do repeatedly.

Brushing your teeth and washing your face with your fancy skincare products is a routine. Waking up at 6:30am and going out for a run is a routine. Purchasing hot chocolate from Starbucks on your journey to work is a routine. These actions happen repeatedly and create a rhythm in your daily life.

Why should you create a routine?

Establishing a productive routine is both a self-investment and a way to do your best for the rest of the world.

“In the right hands a routine can be a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of a range of limited resources: time (the most limited resource of all) as well as willpower, self-discipline, optimism. A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for ones mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods”

Mason Currey

Managing your day allows you to feel more in control. Who likes having their day dictated by other people? I know I sure don’t. You’ll feel more energised and productive with a routine that you know is progressing you further in life. This in turn will help you be more proactive and in control in the face of a stressful situation.

Your routines prime you for success. They help you achieve more than you would by “winging” your day. All it takes is discipline.

Here is a list of actions you should take to help create the best daily routine

1. Make your bed every morning

If there’s one habit you should adopt in your life it’s making your bed every day. Here is some advice from Navy Seal Admiral William H. McRaven:

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished your first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another. By the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.

Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. If by any chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made – that you made. A made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be a better day. “

As Charles Duhigg said in “The Power of habit” – Certain keystone habits can trigger other positive behaviours. If you can change a step in your unhealthy habits you can gear your life to building healthier patterns.

 Making your bed doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have better productivity, but it can lead to a healthier overall mindset.

2. Reflect on your achievements

It’s easy to lose sight of achievements made after a long day. Taking a few moments before you jump into bed to reflect and celebrate your wins big or small puts you in a grateful and happy mindset before you go to sleep. Reflecting on these achievements puts things into perspective and gives you the encouragement to carry on the same flow for the next day.

Reflecting also gives you a better understanding of what’s working and what’s not. This then allows you to make better decisions and change habits that are not beneficial for you. Each time you improve, it helps build your confidence with increased knowledge and perspective.

You can reflect in a number of ways such as jotting it down in a notebook, writing in your gratitude journal and you can also track your productivity with a number of apps such as: “Productive – Habit Tracker, “ Forest” and “ Wunderlist”.

3. Recite affirmations

Affirmations are positive statements that you use to reframe how you think about yourself and the outcome of the future. They are a good way of visualising the good things that will come to you and overcoming negative self-talk.

Affirmations make an impression on your subconscious mind, allowing you to be in alignment with what you want to accomplish. This makes it easier to be in the right mindset before you start your day and when you’re ready to go to bed.

The way you choose to think, day in and day out is just that – a choice. Choose daily positive thinking and watch how differently you see your life.

4. Have a proper breakfast

Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast – which is where its name originates from, breaking the fast! Starting the day running on empty is equivalent to trying to drive a car with no petrol. 

I HAVE to have breakfast in order for me to have a productive day. Nothing worse than trying to get some work done and your stomach is just grumbling away!

Eating a good breakfast is amazing for your health, as research shows that those who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight and more likely to be in their ideal weight range compared to people who skip breakfast. If you skip breakfast, you’re more likely to reach for high sugar and fatty snacks mid-morning to get your energy boost.

Probably the most appealing benefit Is that breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and thus helps you burn more calories during the day. When you eat breakfast, you’re telling your body that more calories are coming throughout the day. When you skip breakfast the message your body gets is that it needs to conserve rather than burn any incoming calories.

5. Clean your home

When you start your day, the last thing you want to see is mess all around you. Without regular clean-up sessions you’ll find your environment in disarray.

Spending 10-20 minutes each day tidying up reduces the stress of having regular deep cleaning days. While it sometimes seems impossible to manage everything on your plate, there are some quick and easy tips to help you get your house in order.

1. Put everything away after use
2. Focus on one room at a time
3. Do the dishes after every meal
4. Set a timer so you don’t procrastinate
5. Do a load of laundry daily
6. Give everything it’s own space to live
7. Make your bed as soon as you wake up
8. Keep basic cleaning supplies close to where you use them

6. Exercise

Even though exercise can happen at any time of the day, many experts suggest that the morning is the best time to take part in physical activities. Exercising in the morning is a great way for helping the body jump-start your metabolism and burned stored fat.

A general recommendation is to exercise 30 minutes each day, this amounts to only 2% of your day! Exercising is a no-brainer when it comes to what you should incorporate into your daily routine. Is it going to be easy? Nope. Is it going to be worth it, absolutely!

Start thinking today about how you’re going to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. If you already do, think about how you can start mixing it up. Keeping things fresh keeps your mind engaged, making you less likely to give up.

7. Read

Becoming an avid reader was one of the best things I’ve done for my creativity and mental wellbeing. The first book I ever read for my personal growth was The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It was this book that started my daily reading habit and would urge anyone who wants to learn more about habits to read that book!

A daily dose of reading can do wonders for your relationships, health and memory.

Want your vocabulary to improve? Read
Want to develop your self-discipline? Read
Want to boost your IQ? Read

Pick up a book today and spend a minimum of 15 minutes reading. Get yourself in a nice comfy area with a hot cup of tea and let your imagination loose.

8. Spend time with family/friends

One of the best ways to combat stress is to spend time with your loved ones. The smiles, the belly-aching laughter, the sincere joy that you feel when they’re around is what you should aim to feel daily.

Who are you thinking about right now as you’re reading this? Give them a call or text to meet up later or during the week and have a good laugh. You deserve to enrich your life with positive and encouraging people around you.

Don’t underestimate the power of having a solid support system around you. It makes going after your goals even easier and allows you to celebrate your wins both big and small with the ones that matter most.

In Summary

Following a daily routine can help you establish priories, keep track of goals, limit procrastination and make you healthier. It helps lower your reliance on self-discipline and motivation due to the repeated action causing the right habits to be formed.

Since creating and following a routine of my own, I have more drive and motivation which makes reaching my goals a lot easier. I show up every day with more mental and physical energy which get me through my tough days.

Remember: What works for someone else, might not work for you. This is why it’s vital to pick activities that resonate the most with you and put you on the path to task and goal completion. The key is to create regular and consistent daily patterns that will take you to where you want to go in life, helping you maximise yourself on every possible level.

There is a whole module in the How to set goals and achieve them mini-course dedicated to creating your ideal 24 hours! Learn how to create a morning, afternoon and evening routine that gets you closer to completing your life-changing goals. Don’t wait any longer to get what you want out of life. You are deserving of that dream life. Let me help you get started > How to set goals and achieve them mini-course

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How to improve your life one day at a time

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How to find and live your purpose in life