10 Habits That Will Improve Your Life

If you were to read “exercise, eat healthy and have a good night’s rest” you’d probably roll your eyes and skip over to another post. But life-improving habits don’t always have to be physical, and if they are, they aren’t always obvious.

Try to see the positives in every situation

Being negative will not solve anything, and if you think it does, the repercussions will often outweigh the problem. An easy way to be positive is to be grateful.

Find the good in every situation and hold on to that, because  happiness will lead to much better things than anger. As Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once said, “we can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” 

Stay organised

Make a weekly or monthly plan to help keep everything on track. Set yourself reminders, or plan ahead for the month so that you don’t have to worry about the little things (utility direct debits, that big essay, mum’s birthday) and you’ll see how it will help you to smooth-sail your way through the week.

Work smart, not hard

Prep yourself, don’t leave stuff to the last minute, don’t take on all the work (trust others!) and don’t be afraid of trial-and-error.

Your goal is to make your work (and your life) much more efficient and less stressful. You don’t want to slave away and never get to enjoy the fruit of your work.

Be disciplined

Success stems from working hard and being as productive as we can be, and it doesn’t necessarily involve military-level restraint! Building self-discipline may sound daunting but it’s all about starting small and building up.

You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and also see the results of hard work because things will move forward.

Don’t go to bed angry 

It sounds like a major cliché, but it’s based on solid truth, and it applies to more than just relationships.

Life is unpredictable, and anger is a toxic emotion that can not only cause irreversible damages to any relationship, but one that also drains our energy and impedes us from doing anything but thinking about it.

If you get into an argument, take a breather, relax, and either apologise or try to forgive.

Don’t try to please everyone 

If you’ve been doing this all your life and suddenly take a stand, some people will be taken aback, or even become upset that you are no longer giving in. Good. Its humanly impossible to please everybody, and in your search to keep everybody’s needs before yours you’ll find yourselves stressed, unhappy and exhausted.

Be assertive, but practical.

Take every opportunity given

If you try to find the negatives before even attempting it, you’ll almost certainly regret it a few years down the line. You never know what every opportunity can lead to and what doors it can open. This doeasnt mean say yes to everything, but don’t let little things deter you from trying out even the seemingly small things that cross your path.

Don’t let go of your inner child 

What do children do? They are truthful, creative, curious and above all: they can find the joy in anything. Who said you have to let go of those things just because you are now responsible for making your own doctor’s appointments?

Judgment from letting your inner child free comes only from those who desire to rekindle their own flame.  Find time to do the things you love no matter how “childish” they may be perceived by others.

Put yourself in others’ shoes

Try to be empathetic. Learn to listen. Look at both sides of the argument before making a decision.  This doesn’t mean that there will be justification for ever occurrence, but it is far better to approach a situation at a calm pace than to jump to conclusions.

If it were the other way around, you’d want others to do the same for you.

When all else fails, listen to your gut 

Nobody has ever gotten through life without committing a single error. It is from these instances that we learn how to be a better version of ourselves, and our intuition is shaped by these experiences. Seeking advice is great, but you will never find happiness if you only abode by the word of others.

Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency specialising in all the internships and graduate jobs London has to offer.

Xiomara Meyer is a drama and creative writing graduate with an interest in psychology and the slightly bizarre.