There aren’t any secrets, these are all out in the open. All it takes is adopting them.

A better life — or even a purposeful one — is subject to interpretation by every individual in the world. However, there are several considerations to make that can result in us enriching ourselves and setting ourselves up for this better life.

People present these things as secrets but the reality is these are out in the open and all you need to do is adopt them into your life. That particular aspect is difficult at times, but as long as you’re continuing to work on these aspects, they are bound to happen and allow you to reap the benefits later.

1. Value Possession Less & Experiences More

When we place value on physical objects, the loss of them can be devastating for us — depending on how much we value them. In the end, our possession end up owning us and it can result in us encountering more harmful situations than if we valued those less.

It’s best to work towards our needs through experiences for the majority and to think of possessions as enhancers to our lives. They are meant to compliment us rather than control us.

Read also: 3 everyday habits that harm your brain

2. Be Curious About The World

I wrote an article about intermittent fasting and it’s only now getting more traction as people are commenting and reading the article. Whenever it comes to health, I know it’s best to brace myself for it because health is an unusual topic.

Unusual in that it’s hard to piece together what is actually true and what isn’t. Yes, there are studies that cover all kinds of health trends, but others can refute that fact. Or you may have personal experience with a certain health trend and found it didn’t work at all for you despite the mountain of studies that says it’s meant to do all these things.

At the end of the day, I see the health industry as an opportunity for discussion as plenty of people have had good experiences with something that is different from the norm.

I once took up a Paleo diet and saw some results from it in a month’s time. This is despite the fact that someone who was already physically fit warned me that removing all of your carbs is a terrible idea.

Curiosity for the world is important as it allows us to change and adapt and grow.

3. Don’t Take Life Seriously

Making mistakes sucks and for many of us we use it as an opportunity to dogpile onto ourselves. Absolutely, there are some serious topics and conversations that need to be had in life.

However, the point of this tip isn’t to take everything seriously. If you make small mistakes, laugh at yourself or at least show appreciation for the lesson. For the larger ones, be humbled by them and take them to heart and see what you can do better for next time.

Life has its ups and downs. The important part is when you get those downs, you don’t milk them at every opportunity.

4. Help Other People

The self-improvement movement should never have put so much emphasis on ourselves. Sure, it’s in the name but people have used it to push all kinds of things that have essentially turned people into narcissists or at the very least developing an individualistic mindset.

I agree that self-improvement is about ourselves, but there is another component to it — passing on the benefits to others.

In the case of helping people in general, doing something nice for someone else creates a ripple effect. It helps you grow and understand the world better and makes it a bit brighter.

5. Set Aside Some Time To Understand You/Your Emotions

Even though we spend a lot of time in our heads, I feel like not a lot of us understand ourselves. It’s especially apparent in the case of our emotions where we simply can’t control them. That or we let our emotions jump to conclusions and make assumptions.

Dwelling on certain emotions is always going to be tough at first, but finding ways to normalize them and to handle them in a healthy manner will allow us to tap into more of the curiosity aspect of ourselves.

6. Know What Your Core Values Are, Then Your Goals & Dreams

These are bound to change over time as we grow up and improve certain aspects, but it is still important that you understand what those are. This is a crucial aspect as it becomes so much easier to be setting goals and making your dreams into reality.

If you don’t know what your core values are, then know what kind of dreams you have. What kind of lifestyle would you like to have if you could achieve it tomorrow? From there, you can look at those dreams and pull generalized core values such as wealth, relationships, health and many others.

7. Get Good At Something Beyond Your Job

A hobby or a passion, getting good at something in particular beyond work can enrich your life in so many ways. It doesn’t need to be a plethora of things but certainly one thing that you’re able to bust out at a moment’s notice that people weren’t expecting. Mine’s singing.

8. Keeping Your Brain Sharp

If you’re curious, then chances are you’ll do this just fine but it can still be challenging for those of us who are curious about things. The reason is that as time goes on, we get really comfortable going through the same routine. We see the same friends, eat the same food, and do the same thing all day long.

The issue with that is that doesn’t really stimulate our brains. They’re just booting up the same sequence of neuron pathways and leaving it at that.

What helps us out more is getting out and doing something we normally wouldn’t do. Go and talk with different people, try and build relationships with them, try making something different, or start doing crosswords.

9. Be Intentional

Intentional people are all about following through with what you set out to do. It’s a higher level of commitment and you’re moving away from saying things.

Intentionality also has more of a degree of realism and adaptation to it as well. While our intentions might be good, what our intentions spur us on to do might not be. That or our actions lead to intentions and goals not being fulfilled and we end up failing.

All in all, intentions allow us to be honest with ourselves and be humbled by mistakes and make adjustments.

Read also: 7 signs you are neglecting to take care of yourself

10. Acknowledge Your Ego

Egos run in the back of our mind and cause all kinds of trouble. They can discourage us from trying anything new or it can get so inflated we get ourselves into tough situations and get way over our heads.

The ego I believe is a bit of a balancing act. It’s important to know where it’s at and to keep making adjustments as your life goes on and you experience events around you.

Overall, it’s developing self-awareness and ensuring that your ego doesn’t become too little or too big.

CONTRIBUTED BY Eric S Burdon

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