Alternate Perceptions Magazine, October 2024
Things You Can Do To Make Today Better
by: Stan Prachniak, MBA
The majority of people want each day to be better than their last, but what does it take to make today better than yesterday? The answer to this question will be different for everybody, but I’d like to offer a few suggestions based on some simple principles. If you are one of the countless people in the world who is striving to be a better version of themselves, then any of the options presented in this article will be easy to implement into your daily life.
Chances are, you have a routine that you follow each morning after you wake up. This routine might be very structured and detailed, or maybe it’s as simple as just doing whatever needs to be done to get out the door on-time for daily responsibilities. No matter how simple or detailed your daily routine(s) may be, you can introduce any (or all) of these ideas to assist you in becoming the best version of yourself. It’s important to point out here that being the best version of you is an ongoing process. You are evolving each day and may need to assess and adapt regularly to avoid veering off of your desired path in life. Below are some possible actions you can take daily to help keep you on your desired path.
Choose to be present. Take a few moments to notice yourself and your environment. Listen to the sounds within and outside your home. Assess your mood, feelings, and the overall condition of your body. Decide if there are any issues that you may need to address before starting your day. For instance, if you notice a pain in your body, decide what action to take in order to minimize the impact that pain will have on your day. If you notice that you are feeling “down,” think about why this might be the case and decide what you can do about it. The point of this mindful assessment of yourself and your surroundings is to present yourself with opportunities to take control of what you can control before the day gets started.
Choose to have a positive attitude. I talked in a previous article about turning “I can’t” into “How can I?” You are going to experience negativity in life, that is a certainty. What you do and how you handle negatives will either help you stay on the path to being the best version of you or it won’t. When you are dealing with any of the number of stresses that come with just being alive, remember to stay positive. Be thankful that you are fortunate to experience some of the “problems” that others might be grateful to have. You may have a co-worker who is difficult to work with, but you have a job. If you choose to focus on the negative aspects of your life, you will only see more negatives. It is smart to see any possible positives of any given situation because when you do, you will begin to notice more of the same. Choose to help others. Each day, you are likely presented with at least one opportunity to help someone else. Helping out could be something as simple as holding a door open for someone who has their hands full or as involved as sharing a life lesson that helped you get through a difficult situation with someone who is dealing with a similar issue. You never know what someone else is experiencing in life, or what seemingly small gesture may be the act of kindness that changes another person’s day for the better. When you decide seize an opportunity to help, you not only make someone else’s day a little better, you will likely feel better about yourself—you will generate positivity.
Assess your beliefs before you act. Many times, we find ourselves in situations that seemingly test our willingness to be our best self. Things happen that are out of our control and we have to choose what to do with the feelings that arise from such situations. In the book Freedom To Change, we use road rage as an example of how situations can test us and our beliefs about other people and certain situations. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic you will probably experience a rush of thoughts and emotions that are based on potentially false beliefs—there is a chance that you will take the other person’s actions as a personal attack on you. In situations like the example above, there is almost zero chance that the person cut you off on purpose. It is more likely that they are only thinking about themselves or were not paying attention to their surroundings. If you choose to assess your belief and decide that this incident has nothing at all to do with you and decide to let the incident go, there is no chance of escalation. However, if you act on emotion and decide to honk your horn and/or gesture and yell at the other person, there is a chance that an innocent mistake could escalate to the point of road rage. Taking a moment to challenge a belief that a stranger purposefully targeted you to cutoff in traffic can help you avoid a potentially volatile situation. I chose this example because it is a somewhat common occurrence for people who drive regularly, and it highlights how quickly our beliefs about a situation can take over.
Choosing to do any or all of these things will make you feel better about yourself, provide you with a sense of accomplishment, and can even have a positive impact on others.
Freedom To Change offers a way for you to implement daily plans of action that can help you become the version of you that you truly want to become. For more information on the Freedom To Change materials, visit www.freedom2change.org.
