Friday, October 5, 2012

11 Daily Habits



"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." -John Dryden 

As we grow, habits fade away making room for new ones.  We never get to a point where it's locked in forever.  It's a constant cycle of learning new things.  Essentially, we adapt to a world that moves at a fast pace. It is important to stick to habits that continually motivate us to lead a happy, meaningful life.

These are some of the habits that I believed have helped tremendously in making my life less stressful and more importantly, enjoyable.  Although the order might change from time to time, especially with the nature of my (previous) job, some elements of my regular practices remain in tact. 

1. Waking up early: Waking up to a new day is a gift.  24 brand new hours to make today better than the last one and an opportunity to make tomorrow brighter than ever.

2. Journaling: At the moment, I am doing my Morning Pages. For some of who are familiar with The Artist's Way, you know what I'm talking about.  It is an amazing book about achieving a creative life.  It is also during this quiet time that I work on my gratitude journal and write out my goals.
"If you want a happy life, tie it to a goal, not people or things." -Albert Einstein
3. To-do list:  The simple act of writing out the things that need attending to and crossing them out as soon as they're done is an effective tool to keep things organized.

4.Grooming: It is said that there is a direct correlation between grooming and feeling good.  The act of stroking our hair when we brush it and touching our face when we put makeup on releases endorphins. The nature's happy drug.  I don't know much about the science behind it, I know for a fact that a little blush on my cheek and a gloss on my lip is a nice pick-me-up whether I'm leaving the house or not.

5. Home-caring: This is a task that plays a big role in my day.  I love puttering around the house.  It is meditative and highly rewarding.  After all, it is our sanctuary. 

6.Blog:  Blogging makes me think. Something that I can't get enough of these days.  Putting my thoughts into writing is something else.  It is cathartic.

7. Making/ Packing lunch:  Most of the time I prepare our meals.  It is something that I take pride on.  Knowing what goes into our food gives me a sense of control and awareness.

8. Idle time/s: Allowing yourself to indulge in random things once or several times a day, be it productive or not, adds a sprinkle of fun and spontaneity.  After all, all this means nothing if we're not having fun, right?  

9. Exercise: It goes without saying the benefits of regular fitness activity.   An hour walk or a 30 minute run several times a week has helped improved my well-being both physically and mentally.

10. Long therapeutic baths:  or ME time as I call it.  If the words relaxing, calming, detoxifying and so on sound appealing to you, this might be a wonderful way to treat yourself once in a while.

11. Read:  Reading inspirational books is one of the greatest things we can gift ourselves, and a habit to introduce to our children.   Apart from improved memory, writing and vocabulary skills, it is a way to inject a tranquil time into a rather busy day.
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read.  One does not love breathing." -Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird