I have had a few very significant experiences lately that made me reconsider the way I approach living my life. As such, I have come up with a list of adjustments that I believe will help me to be a happier person. Maybe it will help you too.
- Do not hold onto petty grudges. Those can make you sick from the inside out, and can lend credibility to the illusion that you had no faults in a given situation.
- Similarly, do your best to not cling to anger. It is all too easy to revert to feelings of anger to cover up feelings of fear, hopelessness, and helplessness.
- Stand up for yourself. You are not a doormat for the world to step on.
- When writing, try to mimic the narration style of a people who do nature documentaries. Their use of the English language is exceptional, and they can give you some ideas about how to become more articulate.
- Focus on the qualities you want to have, and invest yourself in simply having them. It helps to think about your own presence, how you compose yourself, and how you behave. Do not despair at the qualities you think you lack; things probably aren’t as bad as you assume them to be.
- Be honest and sincere in your apologies.
- When experiencing a disagreement, try to understand the opposing point of view. Be polite; if the other person does not know something directly applicable to the argument at hand, try to educate them without putting yourself on a pedestal.
- Do not raise your temper. Instead, maintain a calm demeanor, smile, and be kind.
- Never pursue unkindness with the intent of bringing someone else down.
- Instead of arguing, try debating — and if you’re not debating, at least try to share your point of view, even if you have a disagreement with someone on a topic.
- Do your best to be articulate while also being concise; use as many words as necessary to illustrate an idea without totally going overboard.
- Do not be afraid to cry. It reflects something very beautiful in your heart.
- Do not be afraid to admit when you are wrong. Everyone is capable of being wrong some percentage of the time, you included. To admit error is a strength in and of itself.
- Go boldly in directions where even you may be afraid. Sometimes, the best parts of life involve conquering your worst fears.
- Don’t focus too much on being macho. Truth be told, the world tends to make people hard, and hardness can be mistaken as being the only set of features that makes a being attractive. But the world very desperately needs kinder, softer people.
- Watch documentaries, and read about history when you can.
- Dress up nicely for work, if you can. You will thank yourself every time.
- Take consistent care of hygiene. Give yourself as little excuse as possible for feeling gross. Conversely, don’t go overboard on trying to cover things up; try to use just enough of something to smell pleasant, but not overpoweringly so.
- Find new ways to expand your vocabulary. Words can give you the power to express new ways of thinking.
- More important than politeness — pursue kindness. Being polite is a virtue, but kindness involves a much deeper level of investment.
- Instead of pointing out why you think people are wrong, ask them about things in a constructive way to push them to logical conclusions
- Keep working on your ideas and theories — some of them are likely to be very good. Any breakthrough takes time and effort.
- Express yourself through creative thinking — this not only applies to arts, but the pursuit of mathematics and hard sciences as well. Creativity does not only apply to the humanities.
- Exercise regularly, but do it for yourself. Do it specifically because you want to.
- Do things for yourself because you want to do them, not because you want to impress other people.
- Try talking in the mirror to illustrate ideas regarding where your head is. This can be useful for a number of things, from presentations that you have to give to comedy routines to serious conversations that need to be had.
- Always shower, and always wear clean clothing. Life is too short to go through it feeling gross and self-conscious.
- Don’t beat yourself up over lost time. As long as you’re alive, you still have time to change things as you see fit.
- Thank your lucky stars that you are alive.
- Avoid vices that resemble escapism. It’s fine to party and have a good time — but consider whether you can find happiness in sobriety. This is fundamentally important.
- Wake up early and enjoy the sunrise. Take a nice walk if you can — you’ll find that it suits you.