1. Manage Your Mind

Practice paying attention to and directing your thoughts away from negative thoughts and rumination.

To live our best life we have to direct our focus. If we find ourselves focusing on what we don’t like in life, that is what we will find. However, the opposite is also true, if we focus on what is great about life, that is what we find more of.

How: 

• Direct your focus. Mindfulness, paying attention to your thinking is the key here. Notice when you are wallowing in negative thinking, looking for and finding everything wrong in a situation.
• Train yourself to be more neutral in your thoughts. You don’t have to be a Pollyanna and find everything sunshine and rainbows but you don’t have think everything is awful either. Try to see the middle ground. Let go of thinking there is a right way and wrong way. 
• Black and white thinking is the opposite of being open minded. When things don’t fit precisely into your categories for the way they should be, you will always feel let down or be resisting what is.
• Rumination is when you allow your mind to think repetitive thoughts repeatedly without taking charge. This type of thinking is generally negative and it’s exhausting with no upside whatsoever.
• If your brain is asking questions then give yourself answers. Sometimes it’s helpful to think through the thoughts you are ruminating on and process the thoughts all the way to a conclusion. Especially if you are worrying about a possible future or beating yourself up for a situation or something you did.
• Consider the worst-case scenario. For example if you are worried about, what might happen, let your brain think through the worst-case and the best-case scenarios. Usually, the worst case is not that bad and once you have thought of the worst and the best-case scenarios your brain will usually let it go.

2. Have a Goal

Always have a small goal or larger purpose that you are actively working towards.

All life evolves and grows naturally and humans are not exempt. We are meant to continue to grow, improve, and evolve. We need to be doing something.

If we don’t have some type of goal or thing to work at our brains and bodies get bored. We turn to mind numbing activities like drinking too much, watching tv too much, complaining, eating snacking and munching too much. All the too much things we usually regret later.

How: 

You don’t have to set yourself an extraordinary goal for this to improve your contentment. You can set a series of small goals for one larger purpose.

Here are some examples.

• Maybe you set small organizing or purging goals throughout your home, with the overarching purpose of becoming more tidy or organized. 
• You may have a career, financial, or education goal to strive toward.
• Maybe you want to get off prescription medication or lose weight. Maybe you want to get in the best shape of your life.
• Maybe you’d like to create a spiritual practice or travel.

The main purpose here is to be focussed on something you want to achieve or create in your life. This focus helps you move forward in your life preventing stagnation and discontent.

When I began to focus on self-improvement my life dramatically changed for the better. I went from blaming everyone and everything in my life for my not being happy and made myself happy. It’s amazing and awesome.

3. Enjoy the Moment

Create an awesome life moment by moment.

And finally, we have to remember that we live in the present moment. Every moment we have is an opportunity to live an awesome life.

Begin to notice areas of your life that could use some sprucing up.

When you have dinner, are you scarfing down leftover pizza on a paper towel standing over the sink or are you sitting down with a fork and knife? Eating each bite mindfully and elegantly? Why or why not?

When you get dressed for the day are you choosing something for not only service and comfort, but something that looks good and makes you feel good? Ask yourself why or why not?

When you have down time and you choose to relax in your home is it clean and tidy and beautiful? Why or why not?

Even the little things add up, try small upgrades to create special moments:

• Drink your water out of a fancy glass
• Use the good dishes or china for everyday
• Wear perfume everyday
• Light candles
• Turn off the tv and play music in your home
• Purchase beautiful throw pillows and blankets for luxuriously relaxing with a book in your living room
• Purchase and arrange fresh flowers every week or two

Create lovely rituals like:

• Have a wine or tea and a piece of quality chocolate each evening
• Take a quiet walk after dinner
• Have brunch every Sunday
• Spend time taking care of your skin
• Create a weekly at home spa day

Are you running mindlessly from task to task, not taking a moment to breathe or stop and smell the roses? Wouldn’t you like to have breathing room in your schedule? Remember who is in charge of not only your time…but your mind.

It was these three areas of focus that changed my life and they can change yours too. When we begin to manage our mind, focus on growth, and practice enjoying our lives we develop the habit of making things better instead of waiting, blaming, and complaining.

So get out there and focus on creating your awesome life, only you can, only you are in charge of you.