Many say that the secret of your future is in your daily routine. I can attest that it’s the little moments that add up to create life’s biggest achievements. Being that the “big moments” (like job promotions, graduations, weddings, etc) happen way less than the minutia of day-to-day life, it’s up to us to ensure that we make our daily routines eventful; ensure they are brimming with happiness and good vibes.
You are your own responsibility; it is up to you to create the life you love. To do this, aim to keep yourself on track. If you’re a type A like me, you record how you’re doing in life as if you’re a professor grading a report card. I encourage you to treat self-care the same way — have you reached out to family and friends today? Have you learned something new? Made someone smile? Stretched your body?
As we all know, taking small steps will lead you in the right direction and to help, I have a few tips, for the “yopro” (young professional) world. These small steps will seriously produce large results after repetitive action and dedication. You’ll feel better each and every day because of the small efforts you’re making. It’s the little things. Feel grateful for each day and then make something of it!
Family First
Call everyone you love in your life, check up on them as you run an errand. Make a call to a friend who you’ve lost touch with. Try to do this every day instead of scrolling aimlessly through the ‘gram. Just a few minutes and this effort will make you — and them — feel so good.
People who Agree: “Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana (And if Princess Diana says anything, you know it it’s definitely the real deal.)
Throw Those Pods In and Listen!
Get excited to learn something new every day. I love listening to Gary Vee, SuperSoul Conversations with Oprah, Dannijo, Girlboss, and more. You can exercise those listening skills while driving, on your walk to class or work, or even as you clean your room (my mom will love that I threw that one in!).
Even if you don’t get anything out of a podcast (which I’m certain you will), there are many benefits to active listening. Not only will you learn new things, but you’ll be exposed to a whole new world of opinions and topics.
People Who Agree: A study by Emma Rodero proves that podcast listeners have imaginations that are stronger and more vivid than those who do not listen to podcasts. Sooo.. what are you waiting for?
Work That Body
What new things can you try that will make your body and mind happy? I personally use ClassPass to try a different workout as often as I can. The benefits of this are endless: your brain will be challenged, your muscles will be forced to adapt to a new routine, you’ll likely break a weight-loss plateau, and you’ll defintely meet new workout buds!
People Who Agree: “You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” – Barbara Sher
Nerdy is Cool
From body to mind, the brain needs variety, as well! The New Year means you can try out those hobbies you’ve always wanted to dabble into. Begin writing for online publications to get creative and use those writing skills again. Go and learn something new for free on Khan Academy or get a membership with Skillshare. Check out Foundr for classes on entrepreneurship. Utilize YouTube to learn a new dance move. Challenge yourself!
People Who Agree: “The coolest things in life are things that you have not done before. That’s the key to life: new things always.” – Afrojack
Eat Your Veggies!
What you put into your body is what you will get out of it. The only person in charge of you is you. You only get one body. Get rid of that sugar addiction and eat more veggies! The Medical Medium and Dr. Mona V on Instagram have great advice on refining your diet to make it as healthy as possible. You don’t need $100 product to make your hair shine. Just eat more omega 3s! Your skin will change based on what you fuel yourself with.
People Who Agree: “Our skin reflects our diet almost immediately. If we consume fatty, sugary, and processed foods, our skin is likely to react by becoming inflamed, puffy and rough in texture.” – Dr. Nicholas Perricone
Monitor Yourself
What you surround yourself with is what you see and then emulate. Monitor what you see as if you’re a five year old with an unlimited channel TV in front of you. Unfollow, Unfriend. Don’t be mean, ever, instead focus on what you want yourself to see every day. I only follow people I would want to get coffee with.
Some people and brands I follow are: @mindfulmft, @motivationmafia, @therealjadetunchy, @jesseitzler, @sarablakely, @thedodo. Track your time on apps and jobs with the app Toggl, if you need help with time management. Follow hashtags, like #positivequotes, too.
As I typically say, always cut off your dead ends. And I’m not just talking about hair. The best thing you can do to establish a life you look forward to is to make a bit of effort each and every day. The healthy habits will add up over time, helping you to become the best version of you possible.
