Hi I'm Jacqui, thank you so much for visiting.
Welcome to a year-long of self-improvement! In this blog, we'll explore 52 practical and impactful ways to enhance various aspects of our lives. Each week, we'll focus on one suggestion, implement it, and watch as positive changes unfold. Let's dive in!
1: Establish a Morning Routine
Start the day with intention by creating a morning routine that includes activities like meditation, exercise, and goal-setting.
2: Practice Gratitude Daily
Take a moment each day to reflect on what we're grateful for. This simple habit can shift our mindset and increase overall happiness.
3: Learn a New Skill
Acquire a new skill, like learning to play an instrument, singing, art, or a practical ability. Lifelong learning keeps our minds sharp.
4: Prioritize Mental Health
Explore mindfulness techniques, meditation, or therapy to prioritize our mental well-being. A healthy mind contributes to overall self-improvement.
5: Embrace a Healthy Diet
Fuel the body with nutritious foods that support physical and mental health. Small dietary changes can have a big impact over time.
6: Set SMART Goals
Define
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
goals. This framework enhances our chances of success.
7. Self-love
Have a high regard for our own well-being and happiness. Take care of our own needs and do not sacrifice our well-being to please others. Schedule spa time, nail time, gym time, vacation time, whatever we need to love ourselves. We can't fill up others cups, and lift them up, if we are empty.
8: Cultivate a Reading Habit
Expand our knowledge and stimulate our minds by reading regularly. Choose books that inspire, educate, or entertain.
9: Develop Effective Communication Skills
Enhance relationships by improving communication skills. Practice active listening and express ourselves clearly.
10: Establish Healthy Sleep Habits
Prioritize quality sleep for improved physical and mental health. Create a relaxing bedtime routine and ensure sufficient rest.
11. Get moving.
Committ to an hour-long daily gym routine, workout class, or even a short, low-stress workout. Just get moving for a better future. If there is no gym nearby, there's always YouTube.
12. Yoga.
Yoga has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve quality of life and increase positive perceptions of the body. Try a yoga class, YouTube, or apps
13. Walking with mindfulness
Get outside and combine nature with breathing exercises to rejuvenate your body and mind.
Things to be mindful of
Notice how our body feels.
Notice what we see going on around us
Pay attention to the sounds
Now, pay attention to the sounds.
Are there any smells, animals, flowers, water?
Enjoy the walk and be mindful of being alive.
14. Stretch
Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when we call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way.
15. Appreciate how we look
Take a self and write down three things we appreciate about ourselves. Put them on the mirror to boost confidence.
16. Self care app
Use a daily app that helps us find gratitude, happiness, and balance emotions.
17. Take a power nap.
When the afternoon feel like it’s dragging by, skip the cup of coffee and take a 10 minute power nap. This can help us feel refreshed and may increase cognitive function.
18. Check the credit score.
Our credit score is calculated based on Payment history
Length of credit history
Credit mix
Amounts owed
Work on getting our credit score up to qualify for the lowest interest rates and fees for new loans and lines of credit.
19. Get some help
Life can be difficult. When money is tight, friends are unsupportive and work is draining, it’s hard to stay positive and work toward our goals. The problems aren’t always major, but they can inhibit our ability to keep moving forward. Find support through virtual therapy platforms such as Talkspace, Pride Counseling and Calmerry.
20. Get a Cheerleader
Peer support and online peer groups may help “facilitate long-term adherence” to reaching goals. Enlist an uplifting friend to act as our accountability partner.
21. Indulge a little.
Take a break from the budget and splurge on our favorite snack, shoes, or night out, and cherish the moment of treating ourselves.
22. Put down the phone.
We’re subjected to thousands of distractions throughout the day. Try putting the phone out of sight for 10 minutes of uninterrupted productivity.
23. Practice gratitude
Being thankful of the positive things in life is amazing. The wonderful effects of gratitude include an increased appreciation for others, decreased blood pressure and heart rate and improved sleep. Try writing down three positive things every single day and take note of the increased sense of well-being.
24. Remember what we want.
Sometimes we’re so distracted and stressed that we don’t take time to settle down and listen to what our bodies and minds are telling us. Try this:
Sit in a comfortable position
Relax our breathing by breathing in counting to 4, hold for 4, breathing out for 4, hold for 4.
Eyes closed
As we breathe, mentally repeat the words “I AM” for five minutes.
We ask ourselves “What do I want?”
Let the mind settle down and see what pops in our mind.
Write it down
Make a plan
25. Get cultural.
Expand our knowledge of art with free apps such as DailyAr and get access to the artist’s biography, facts about the painting and more.
26. Shower the love
Giving to others releases oxytocin in our brains, that's the feel-good chemical that boosts satisfaction with life, empathy, and gratitude. Let's share our love by donating time or money to others in need.
27. Track our spending.
Rather than tracking every penny, start by tracking the biggest problem area, and find where we can save. Shopping, dinner, drinks, video games, whatever it is.
28. Know thyself
Knowledge precedes change. We start with understanding ourselves. Free online personality tests look at personality traits including the big five personality traits: Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism.
29. Laugh out loud
Indulge in a mini-marathon of hilarious animal videos. Much like a quick meditation, laughing may help lower stress by reducing the effect of stressful events. Start by searching “funny cat videos” and fall down the YouTube or
Tik Tok rabbit hole.
30. Life List
Start a book to reflect on where we've been and envision where we want to go. It can be as simple as pasting pictures of what we've done, where we've been, and what we've seen. Then collect inspirational photos for a vision board, and big dreams list. Grab a blank notebook, or upload to the cloud, and start day dreaming.
31. Take an Ivy League course.
Yale University offers free access to several courses recorded directly from real classrooms. Find the complete list of available courses from more than 20 universities on AcademicEarth.org.
32. Say NO
Our time is our most valuable asset. Learn to say no and open more time to do the things that make us smarter, better and happier.
33. Learn from others
Sites such as Get Rich Slowly and Money Crashers offer advice on everything from investing to car insurance.
34. Listen to music.
Listening to music can have a significant reduction in somatic anxiety. Grab a comfy spot and spend some time getting our vibes on.
35. Become a speed reader.
Not every book requires us to read every word to reap the benefits. Train to read faster and more efficiently using apps such as Spreeder to learn how to read quickly without losing comprehension. Set the speed-reading goal and watch the progress.
36. Reset
Take 10 minutes and do absolutely nothing. Let the mind wander and see where it takes us.
37. Test emotional intelligence.
Often touted as more important than IQ, emotional intelligence is said to affect career success, health, and relationship satisfaction. Discover emotional strength at ARealMe.com, Thoughtful.com, or Thepersonalitylab.org
38. Learn a new language.
Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone offer daily lessons ina multitude of languages, providing a combination of quick learning modules, challenges and side quests to make learning fun and engaging.
39. Find a mentor
Most of the problems in our lives have already been resolved by people before us. Save time and energy by asking a friend, colleague or group member questions and really listen to what they have to say.
40. Check in time
Let's all ourselves, “How am I doing?” Really listened to the response.
What do we need?
Do it!
41. Classical literature
Through history, we can learn how past societies, systems, ideologies, governments, cultures, and technologies were built, how they operated, and how they have changed. This helps us to paint a detailed picture of where we stand today and we can learn so much about our future.
42. Rediscover our childhood
As we explore our childhood experiences, we uncover how these patterns affect our current relationships. This understanding empowers us to build healthier, more meaningful connections. Study Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Inner Work Book, Shadow Work, etc.
43. Become a leader
Learn problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, and time management skills. MindTools.com offers thousands of free online resources including quizzes to test your existing skills.
44. Read more
Join an online book community such as LitLovers.com or Litsy and find recommendations at WhatShouldIReadNext.com.
45. Use the 60/10 rule.
Work for 60 minutes and then do something for ourselves for 10 minutes.
46. Stick to the goals
Stay accountable by monitoring good and bad habits. User-friendly apps such as HabitBull offer the ability to set reminders in order to stay on track and see success streaks.
47. 5. Learn a new word
An extensive vocabulary does more than just make us sound smart. It allows us to better communicate our needs. Try using the Merriam-Webster dictionary app for a word of the day and use it 10 times in conversation.
48. Take a break.
Sometimes the best learning happens when we aren’t learning at all.
49. Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
Hitting the snooze button actually makes us more tired. Sleep experts recommend being honest and setting the alarm for the time we actually get up. Our body will learn to prepare for waking at that time and we will feel less tired over the course of the day.
50. Get a Houseplant
Interaction with indoor plants has been shown to possibly suppress nervous system activity and reduce blood pressure, leading to an overall sense of calm.
51. Start a Side Hustle
Engaging in a hobby that we love reduces stress and can even activate genes that increase immunity and decrease inflammation.
52. Declutter
A tidy environment promotes a focused mind. Declutter the living and working spaces to create a more organized and peaceful atmosphere.
Congratulations to us! High five!
By consistently implementing these suggestions, we invest in our well-being and personal development. Remember, improvement is a continuous process, and the lessons learned along the way contribute to a fulfilling and enriched life. Let's keep growing, evolving, and live our best life!