20 Ways To Improve Your Life

People often ask me how they can improve their lives.

I always give them very specific advice on simple things they can do to create a radical shift in their experience of life.

Here are 20 ways to improve your life. I challenge you to act on each one. Adopt one a day. You will be done with the list in 20 days, but in 3 months time, your life will have changed beyond recognition!

1. Make a definite plan for success. Fix a time limit to this plan. Determine the benefits of your goal.

2. Hold on to a positive attitude. See the best in any situation. Positive thinking heals your body and vitalizes your mind. A negative outlook is self-destructive.

3. Give your employer your best service. Even if you're underpaid, you'll create a twofold bonus. First, you'll increase your level of skill, and this can taranslate to a higher income later on. Second, you'll win sufficient goodwill to attact the favor of your boss or a competitor. The more you give, the more you receive.

4. Continue to learn more about your job. Knowledge is power, and power creates increased income.

5. Work on being calm and even-tempered. An angry or bitter person is hard to get along with. Along with your positive mental attitude comes positive emotions. This enhances both your relationships and your health.

6. Share your goals with others. It is easier to achieve something when you're working on it with someone else. If your goal is too individualistic to share with others, at least get some moral support, some people to cheer you on your way.

7. Put your faith in a higher power. Such faith removes many fears, like fear of poverty, criticism, ill health, loss of liberty, old age, and death.

8. Avoid bad habits, especially those offensive to other people. For example, criticizing others, gossiping, slandering. Also avoid taking in toxic material, like alcohol and cigarettes. Why would you want to ruin your liver and lungs?

9. Plan your work and complete each day's work. Include in your plan, ways to work more effieciently. Don't leave for tomorrow what can be done today. Tomorrow will have its own demands. Progress means moving forward.

10. Enjoy your work. If you don't feel enthused, it's time for a change.

11. Concentrate on your work. And stay at the same task until you finish it. Being easily influenced by other options and abandoning your plans when things go awry can be discouraging, and creates a sense of frustration and failure. .

12. Work in harmony with others. Help people when they ask for it. Avoid arguing, gossiping, judging. Each of us is doing our best to survive as we know how.

13. Learn from your defeats. Use your mistakes to learn what not to do. Convert your liabilities into assets. Consistently learning from errors and improving, enduring the learning curve, is necessary for success. Remember, temporary failure is only feedback. Creative work requires patience and committment. It takes time to be great.

14. Imagination is a two-edged sword. On one hand, you can create thoughts that expand your personal vision and empower you. On the other hand, you can create visions of doom that limit and frighten you. Choose to imagine your best possible outcomes. Be open to your many possibilities.

15. Allocate a fixed percentage of your income to savings. A part of all you earn should be yours to keep. Its a source of great comfort to have extra cash. Life is full of surprises. Things are going to break down unexpectedly. Opportunities are going to arise out of nowhere. Be prepared.

16. Contribute. Allocate some of what you earn to help others. The money may come back multiplied or it may give a deep sense of satisfaction.

17. Observe sound principles of health. You are not just a mind, but a body, too. Your body needs exercise, healthy food, deep relaxation, a sense of pleasure, and sufficient sleep.

18. Seek sound advice when you're confused. Refer to people, books, and the internet, or other sources of information to get a wide spectrum of ideas and then decide for yourself what will best resolve your question.

19. Live with integrity. Create a reputation of reliability. When people can trust you, you open up a whole new world of opportunities. Your handshake should be as good as a written contract.

20. Listen to your dreams. Those you have at night, and those which whisper in your heart during the day. They may reveal to you a path of great joy.

As you read through this list, all the information will sound familiar. However, act on this information and you will shift your life to a whole new level of quality.

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Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life

Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass thisarticle on to your friends, or use it in your ezine ornewsletter. It's a shareware article.