I learned over the years not to depend on external events for my happiness.
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that life needs to be somehow enjoyable or interesting for me to enjoy myself.
Thinking this can stress us because we’re at the mercy of things going right, which they often do not.
So how do ensure we live well?
We focus on repeating certain kinds of actions that reflect our own choice to live life well - regardless of the circumstances.
There’s a big difference there.
We create our reality.
We don’t wait for it.
Here are some fun habits that can make for a funner life:
1. Take action, regardless of how you feel.
Don’t wait to feel good before doing stuff.
Too many of us value our feelings as an indicator of what’s worth doing. You don’t need to feel good to act.
You must act regardless of the flatness, the fear or the frustration. Everything changes when you design a life biased to leaning in and doing things.
You become a doer overnight.
Now take it up a notch and do more. Now we’re cooking.
The momentum will fuel you.
Sparks fly. Don’t question it. Just do.
Now we begin to enjoy a life in motion.
We feel better, and more happens in our favour.
2. Simplify your life in one way daily.
Most of us take on too much, and we know it.
We accept too many engagements. We buy too much junk that we never use. We take on too many projects that send us spinning.
Good pruners manage beautiful gardens. So prune your life every day.
Take stock of one area of your life and identify one thing you can subtract.
What item in your house no longer ‘sparks joy’ that you barely use?
Get rid (This doesn’t include an unruly child).
The same applies to your business engagements, relationships and your bad habits. Find one thing that gets the chop.
Now give it hell…HIYAH!
Life is about continual simplification, not taking on more than necessary.
You’ll be far less stressed and more effective this way.
3. Speak out your challenges on audio or video.
One of the best habits I brought into my daily life was recording impromptu videos that I’d share on Youtube.
No script, nothing.
Often, I’d have no idea what to say before hitting record. I would frequently speak through whatever was bothering me the most that day.
It turns out that others were interested in tuning into hearing my solutions because they shared similar problems.
Vocalising our concerns in public is cathartic. I also find talking things through using ChatGPT’s voice mode similarly valuable.
Something happens in our psyche when we translate a swirling thought into verbal reverberations via vocals.
It helps us find solutions.
And it helps others too.
4. Find low dopamine forms of entertainment.
We all know that being glued to TikTok and video games aren’t doing us much good.
Being continually flooded with dopamine from artificial and cheap sources is screwing with our heads.
These pitiful platforms are engineered to hook you in like a hapless puppy looking for bacon.
Look to other sources of semi-passive entertainment like reading fiction, people-watching, doodling, sun-gazing, bird-watching, or just watching the ocean waves crash in.
There is immense power here because, as our minds still during these activities, we receive creative insights that nourish us.
5. Ask life-improving questions.
If we allow any old thought into our heads, and stew on those concerns, we lose control.
Take the power back by regularly asking soul-quenching questions that keep us on the right track: a creative and healthy track.
Ask questions like: ‘If I knew exactly how to solve my most pressing challenge, what ONE thing would I do to solve it today?’
You may surprise yourself by how many solutions are already shelved away in that thick noggin of yours.
Ask empowering questions.
Ask questions that prompt a life of intrigue and enjoyment.
You know the way.
Want to learn the 25 tiny habits that build rock-solid self-respect?
I was never particularly happy until my late twenties. Things changed noticeably for me then. I learned ‘happiness’ is more to do with self-respect than anything else.
When I learned to move past my insecure thoughts and carve a healthy and confident self-identity, real, genuine satisfaction poured into my life. It was weird, but made sense.
Learn the 25 little daily habits I use that reinforce a powerful identity of self-respect in achievable daily steps.
My book shows you how (comes with 3 awesome bonuses):
Get the Art of Self Respect book bundle here.
“One of the best self-help books I’ve read in a long time. Alex exposes, in a clear and concise manner, the behaviors we should study, practice, and adopt to develop better self-respect. This, in turn, leads to earning respect from others.” - Jean Pierre
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