40 Ways to Improve Your Life 1. Learn a foreign language. There are many reasons to learn a foreign language, whether it be for overseas travel, work, or simply to challenge yourself. A great way to do this is with these free podcasts from Open Culture. 2. Read about a subject you wouldn’t normally. This is a great way to develop a better understanding of the world. It will also make you a more interesting person in the process. 3. Start a blog. It’s free and easy to start blogging. Tell the world what’s on your mind, develop an idea or track your progress. The possibilities are endless. 4. Turn off the TV. TV seems to have a passive, hypnotic effect on people. This is a worry when you consider that much of it consists of violent crime shows, dumbed-down sitcoms and brainwashing commercials. Plus think of everything you could do with all that free time if you stopped, or at least cut down on, watching TV. 5. Wake up early. Use the extra time from waking early to read inspirational books, review your goals and envision the life you want. 6. Get fit. Increased strength, mental clarity and self confidence are just some of the benefits of improving your physical fitness. You will also live longer. 7. Start a budget. A budget is a plan that allocates future income towards expenses, savings, investments and debt repayment. They don’t have to be rigid and complicated. 8. Drink less alcohol: Don’t get me wrong, I love an occasional glass of red wine and a beer. But the days are gone when I’m willing to give up a whole day suffering from a hangover. 9. Declutter your life. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by clutter, both physical and mental. Declutter your physical surroundings by going through your clothes and other possessions and see what you no longer need. You can clear your mental clutter by listing everything that is troubling you, and then crossing each one off as you deal with it. My friend Pat goes through everything in her house, every 6 months, and anything she hasn’t used in that time, is deemed superfluous, and simply given away to charity. 10. Phone a friend. Sometimes the human connection can be lost in emails, instant messaging and text messaging. Why not pick up the phone and talk to your friend? Even better, use http://www.skype.com/intl/en/ 11. Travel. Travel will expose you to new places, new cultures, new people and new ideas. For information, inspiration and advice, I recommend http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa 12. Stop lurking. There are many benefits to being an active contributor on the Internet. Don’t just hang around on forums & get involved. 13. Take up photography. An interest in photography will change the way you view the world. You will begin to really notice the details of your surroundings, appreciate the beauty of the world, and the quirks of everyday life. For inspiration, check out http://www.trekearth.com/ 14. Eat healthy food. Healthy food nourishes the body and gives us energy to get through each day. Need some ideas? http://www.lifehack.org has a list of over 100 quick and easy healthy foods. 15. Never eat alone. This simple idea is a great way to network. 16. Save 10-20% of your income. 17. Study. There are endless benefits to both formal and informal study. Some of these include: enhancing your career prospects, developing skills and subject knowledge, and personal growth and satisfaction. 18. Start a business. If you want to be a millionaire one day, you may want to consider how be self-employed. In The Millionaire Next Door, authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko write: Who is the prototypical millionaire? About two-thirds of us who are working are selfemployed. Interestingly, self-employed people make up less than 20 per cent of workers, but account for two-thirds of the millionaires. 19. Write out your short, medium, and long-term goals. The act of writing down your goals make them far more likely to happen. Begin by deciding today exactly what you really want in life. Set big goals – goals that excite & inspire you – and make definite, written plans for their accomplishment. Create schedules, set deadlines. Make your activities and accomplishments measurable, and then take action! Lloyd Conant studied successful people for more than fifty years. He came to the conclusion that "Success is goals, and all else is commentary." Your ability to set clear, specific goals for yourself in every area of your life will do more to guarantee you higher levels of success and achievement than any other single skill or quality. Change is inevitable, but goals allow you to control the direction of change. Goals give you a greater sense of personal power & well-being. 20. Be creative. We all possess the potential for creative expression. Many of us, however, do not believe we are creative or don’t know what outlet we should use to express our creativity. You do not have to paint a picture to be creative, rather everyday tasks such as cooking a meal, making a presentation at work or dressing yourself can be done in a creative manner. There is a good article here:– http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000932.html 21. Ask for a pay raise. Many people feel they are underpaid for the work they do. But have they actually asked for a raise? If this is you, make sure you ask the right way. Follow the steps at http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-for-a-Pay-Raise for success. 22. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. Waiting for the bus, standing in a queue and traveling in a lift are all great examples of when you can strike up a conversation with a stranger. Why bother? Well, it’s a simple way to connect with another human being. And sometimes a stranger can change our lives in ways we would never imagine. 23. Get a makeover. When you look great, you feel great. Simple really. 24. Take a mini-retirement. Tim Ferris advocates freeing yourself from the daily grind by taking a “mini retirements”. Basically this entails traveling to one place for one to six months before going home or moving to another locale. You can find out more about this idea in his book The 4-Hour Workweek, http://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live- Anywhere/dp/0307353133. 25. Learn a musical instrument. No I can’t play an instrument, but it’s high up on my list of things to do. I am told the benefits are that it teaches discipline, relieves stress, gives a sense of achievement, is fun and makes you look cool (well, some instruments…). 26. Be green. Recycling, going carbon neutral and using public transport are just a few examples of how we can make a difference to the environment. If you haven’t already seen it, watch Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth http://www.climatecrisis.net/ for inspiration. 27. Volunteer. Apart from making a difference in someone else’s life and/ or helping the environment, volunteering will improve your life by helping you to meet new people, develop new skills, build self-confidence and feel valued. 28. Develop multiple streams of passive income. Passive income is income that does not require your direct involvement. Familiar examples include income from a rental property and royalties from either an invention or creative work. 29. Donate to charity. No matter how much financial trouble you are in, I can guarantee you there are people worse off than you. Donating to a good cause helps make the world a better place and will make you feel better about yourself. It’s a Win-Win outcome. 30. Do it now. What is it? This only something you will know. But here is a clue: it is what you keep putting off till tomorrow, or next week, or next year. 31. Be passionate. Having a passion for life will provide you with direction and focus, create energy, foster creativity, inspire action and heighten performance. 32. Fail regularly: I believe that failure is the price of ambition. If you are not failing regularly, there is a good chance that you are not growing. 33. Listen to podcasts and audiobooks: this is one of my favourite tips! If you would like some ideas for what to download, try http://guyfinley.com/podcasts/Home.php4 http://www.robinsharma.com/success_podcast_ic.htm and http://www.stevepavlina.com/audio/ 34. Eat local: I read a great book this year called The 100-Mile Diet. It wasn’t environmentally preachy in any way. Instead it opened my eyes to just how interesting food can be when you know where it comes from. My local farm, Over Farm, Gloucestershire, http://www.over-farm-market.com labels every food with the distance it has traveled to get to their shop. 35. Unplug: there are many benefits to unplugging yourself from the electronic gadgets in your life, even if it is just for a day. 36. Stretch yourself by trying something new: life is about trying new things, stretching ourselves, and having adventures. There endless things to try. 37. Remember a few good jokes. Everyone loves to laugh. Having a few good jokes up your sleeve can help break the ice when you meet new people. 38. Find a new job. Do you feel trapped in a boring, soul-destroying job? It doesn’t have to be like that that. This article, http://briankim.net/blog/2007/05/how-to-get-out-of-a-job-you-hate/ by Brian Kim is a great guide to getting out of the job you hate. 39. Relax. Stress has the potential to damage our health and relationships. Some ways to relax are by going for a walk, curling up on the sofa and reading a good book, having a warm bath, listening to chill-out music, or getting a massage. 40. Spend less time on the computer. Don’t let the Internet take over your life. Spending too much time online can make you less productive, damage relationships and is not good for your health. And with that, I’m done.