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We all search for ways to better ourselves. I wrote this list of things I do here and there, often regularly, to bring myself back to center, regroup, refocus energy, improve and more. I'd love for you to comment on this post and add ideas for what you do!
1. Focus on Your Health and Well-Being - You know when your jeans are snug, the arms in your blouse are a bit tighter, you're feeling sluggish or you just aren't loving yourself. It's time to change your behavior a bit and add in some loving well-being. Focus on one thing to change and do that for a month. Maybe it will become your new healthy habit.
2. Cook Lighter, Less and Lively - Along those lines of well-being, come dietary adjustments. I know I can be one to stick my head in a bucket of ice cream here and there. I love this idea of cooking lighter, eating less and feeling lively. Try cutting back, changing to more healthy ingredients and incorporating spices and fresh foods into your diet. When you delete something, add something. For example, ditch the soda and add a cup of fresh veggies daily to your diet.
3. Clear the Clutter, Clean your Closet, Clean a Drawer - Tidy up once a month. Clear your space and reorganize. It doesn't mean purge your whole house. But pick something once and month to clean and clear. You define the project.
4. Change one small thing - I love helping people make changes, by changing one small thing at a time. Pick a positive change, hold the change for a month and add the next change to that. By the end of 12 months, you have 12 positive changes to your life. My book Percolate contains a 9-point plan to help you implement change in your life.
5. Pick one quote, hang it up and make it your summer motto - I was recently in Sackets Harbor, New York and I picked up a sign that says, "Live your life by a compass not a clock". It's been my motto for the summer and probably one I will incorporate into my life permanently. Pick up a quote that helps you feel your best or a quote that leads you in a direction you are wanting to go in and visit the quote daily.
6. Ditch the Device - Geez, this is difficult, but please make other things in your life a priority other than electronics. Once every so often, shut things off and do something else with your life. Think back, if you are old enough, to times without all of this electronics and have one of those old timers days.
7. Take in a Game - Head to a ballpark, field, stadium or school at any level and take in a game. Consider even making a small donation on that day. Those athletes at all levels work incredibly hard!
8. Volunteer - Writing a donation is great, but so is your physical presence. Please volunteer once a month somewhere. You make a difference.
9. Get Creative - Do something creative, even if you think you are terrible at it. As multiple blogs and posts show, I'm so non-crafty it is scary. I do it anyway. doodle, draw, paint, write, bake.... whatever...... just get creative and stay there for a while. It helps you unwind.
10. Spark Your Soul - Keep moving forward until your find what sparks your soul.
11. Root in Gratitude - Root everything about yourself in the fact that you got up today and took a breath. Go from there. Gratitude is not lists of things and people and so forth that you are grateful for. Gratitude is a root-level, core-level, sub-consciousness way of being. You can retrain your brain to be grateful through careful thought. You can retrain your brain to be grateful by finding the positive in every situation and bringing yourself back to breath. This is the main underlying concept of my book Percolate.
12. Notice Kindness - Be kind to others. Notice kindness. You have absolutely no idea what another person is going through or has been through. Always remember that.
13. Learn Something New - Be a life-long learner. Teach yourself a new skill. Ask someone to teach you something new.
14. Pick up the Phone - This doesn't mean pick up your phone and start playing Candy Crush. It means pick up your phone, dial a number and speak to someone. Texting is different than an actual conversation with someone.
15. Stretch - I love Ellen Barrett's DVDs and workouts. Stretch your body daily at least. This isn't an ad for Ellen, but seriously, she is the absolute best for this topic. All levels can do her workouts.
16. Stop a nagging or negative habit - Turn that upside down and incorporate some positive to counter the negative. Decide to stop and put your energy into honoring yourself with your decision.
17. Look for something new - This goes with #16. When you are looking to change someone old and negative, you might need something new and new energy. Incorporate new ideas, energies, people, decisions and positive energy into your world.
18. Practice random acts of kindness - Randomly do something cool for someone else. Do not engage in accolades and do not tell anybody what you did. Keep it to yourself.
19. Have a PJ day - Have a day every so often where you just completely ignore the world and focus on yourself. Catch up on sleep, be a couch potato, whatever.... just chillax.
20. Sit in a public spot, such as a coffee shop or bookstore and journal - I am doing this and writing this as we speak :)
Remember, we practice being our best and better our lives. We do not practice perfection. I'd love to know things you do to help you be your best! Please leave a comment.
Love, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is a 20-year veteran of the financial services and regulatory compliance training industry. Also, a recognized leader in personal development, Elizabeth is an author with Hay House and her best-selling book PERCOLATE - Let Your Best Self Filter Through continues to percolate around the globe. Elizabeth is the founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network, a brand with an extensive social media following and radio downloads on The Best Ever You Show.
An expert in mentoring people to market their strengths and achieve brand excellence, she works with clients worldwide to illuminate their light within, develop their best life and become their Best Ever You with gratitude-based behavior and belief systems.
Elizabeth’s book PERCOLATE – Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House, 2014) has been called “charming” by Publisher’s Weekly, with “an ingenious extended coffee metaphor.” Guarino also ranks consistently as one of the top 40 social CEOs on Twitter and was just named a favorite by Oxford Said Business School. Her hashtags #BestEverYou and #TipstoBeYourBest are widely circulated.
Elizabeth attended the University of Iowa and is an honors graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Elizabeth and her husband Peter R. Guarino live in Maine with their four sons.
About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino