50 Life Secrets and Tips
- Memorize something everyday.
Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning,
you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment.
Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.
- Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.
Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of
trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions
do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of
minimal needs and you will be much more content.
- Develop an endless curiosity about this world.
Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe
all of the little things as completely unique events. Try new
things. Get out of your comfort zone and try to experience as many
different environments and sensations as possible. This world has so
much to offer, so why not take advantage of it?
- Remember people’s names
so that they feel appreciated and for your own future benefit when you
want something from that person. To do this, say their name back to them
when they introduce themselves. Then repeat the name in your head a
number of times until you are sure you have it. Continue to use their
name in conversation as much as possible to remove any chance of
forgetting it. If you’re still having trouble, make up a rhyme about
their name: “Dan the Man” or “Natalie flatters me.”
- Get fit!
It’s ridiculous to think that we have one body, one sole means of
functioning, and people are too lazy to take care of themselves. Fit
bodies lead to better health, confidence and more success with romantic
endeavors. I’d say those are 3 very good reasons to get in shape.
- Learn to focus only on the present.
The past is unchangeable so it is futile to reflect on it unless you
are making sure you do not repeat past mistakes. The future is but a
result of your actions today. So learn from the past to do better in the
present so that you can succeed in the future.
- Even more specifically, live in THIS moment.
Even 10 minutes ago is the past. If you live purely in this moment you
will always be happy because there is nothing wrong in this
split-second.
- Smile more often.
Whenever you get a grin on your face, your brain is releasing
serotonin, the happy hormone. Smiling is the natural way to force
yourself to be happy. Many people even smile for five minutes straight
in the morning to get themselves in a great mood for the day. It is a
very powerful tool that is utilized less and less as we grow older and
need happiness more than ever. Just remember that while happiness leads
to smiles, smiles also lead to happiness.
- Drink water.
Hydration is tremendously important for overall health. Soda has
absolutely ZERO nutritional content; it’s like pouring a punch of sugar
and syrup into your cup. Instead, fill it with life-replenishing water.
It may taste plain at first if you’re coming off of a heavy
soda-drinking streak, but you’ll soon find yourself addicted to it. 10
glasses per day is optimal, how many have you been getting lately?
- Don’t take life so seriously!
Learn to laugh at the little things and this whole “existence” thing
will be a whole lot easier. Be amused by your mistakes and failures and
be thankful that you learned your lesson and won’t mess up like that
again. And most importantly do things that you enjoy! Life is not
strictly business, it can be mixed with pleasure.
- Think positive thoughts.
When you find yourself thinking a negative thought, stop it immediately
by any means necessary. Slap yourself in the face, yell something
positive at the top of your lungs or jump up and down. Do whatever it
takes to get back to a positive mindset as such is essential for
continual happiness and success.
- Read books. No explanation needed.
- Get in the sun.
Superman was completely re-energized when he flew out to space and
soaked in some rays and you can do the same right outside your front
door (if you live in a constantly dreary place, my apologies). The sun
feels amazing: your entire body will be coursing with warmth and life.
- Help others.I’ll just give you a plethora of reasons why this is a MUST
- Helping people has a ripple effect. If you help someone they will
feel more obliged to help someone else, and so on. Pay it forward
- You grow by giving and helping others. It can change you in ways you never expected
- Your relationship with that person will become stronger
- It’s the most fulfilling thing you can do on this planet. It not only feels amazing physically, you also feel like a good person
- You might be able to call in a favor later when you need some help
- Karma (if you believe in it)
- Because there are more people in this world than just you
- Set aside a specific time to worry each day.
Ponder all of your problems and anxieties during that time so that they
will not distract you during work or moments of pleasure. This way you
can be extremely efficient with your time and avoid focusing on negative
things as much as possible. If you get all of your worry out of the way
and have the mental fortitude to keep from reverting back to them, you
will be much happier on the daily.
- Be honest at all times.
Lies lead to nothing but trouble. Being known as trustworthy is an
excellent trait to maintain and essential to having integrity.
- Sleep less.
Fully adjusting to a new sleep cycle can take up to 21 days so don’t
give up if you feel tired after switching to 5-hour nights. The
“required” 8 hour/night is for normal people. If you’re reading THIS
article on THIS site, you are not normal. So figure out how much sleep
YOU really need and adjust accordingly. As enjoyable as sleep is, waking
existence is much more fulfilling and efficient. IF this really sparks
your interest, check out alternate sleep cycles with which you can be fine off of 2 hours of sleep per day.
- Read “Bringers of Light” and “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch.
These books will help you decide what you want to do in this life and
how to get to that point. They will also profoundly change the way you
look at the purpose of existence. Read them!
- Figure out what your goals and dreams are.
So many people wander aimlessly through life simply go for whatever
small thing they want moment by moment. Instead, decide what your
perfect life consists of and begin to put the steps in motion to reach
that place. The most satisfying thing in the world (yes, better than
sex, much better) is overcoming a challenge and reaching a goal. We are
the happiest when we are growing and working towards something better.
- Start your day off right.
Wake up and set aside an hour for personal development activities
(meditation, self-introspection, observing nature, etc.) Do the things
that make you feel blissful, optimistic and empowered so that you can
set a positive tone for your day. I guarantee that once you start doing
this, your days will be more enjoyable and fulfilling. Today is going to
be the best day of your life. Duh.
- Utilize ‘The Burning Method.’
Whenever a fear or worry or complaint comes to mind, close your eyes
and imagine writing down the thought on a piece of paper. Then proceed
to light the paper and fire and watch it disintegrate. Even better, actually write it down and burn it. You won’t have any problem ridding your mind of the thought after doing this.
- Travel.
Anyone who has ever gone anywhere will tell you that traveling is one
of the most exciting and life-changing activities that you can do.
Observing a different culture will expand your mind while making you
further appreciate the life you already live. This goes back to becoming
an explorer: this world is your jungle so go explore! Who knows, maybe
you’ll find a place you love so much that you decide to move. Imagine
the positive repercussions a new environment could have on your life.
- The Rubber Band Method
This is the third and final way to rid yourself of negative thoughts
(hopefully by now you have figured out that this is very important!).
Place a rubber band around your wrist and snap it against your skin
anytime a negative thought finds its way into your head. This operant
conditioning technique associates a slight pain with negative thoughts
like Pavlov associated food/salivation with the sound of a bell. Sounds a
bit cruel at first but it only stings for a second, I promise. Plus the
outcome, having only positive thoughts, far outweighs a little slap on
the wrist here and there.
- Learn to be unaffected by the words of others.
Most people get very upset when they are called negative names by
others, but there is a simple trick to overcoming this. Here it is: If I
went up to you and called you a fire hydrant, would you be upset? Of
course not. Obviously you are not a fire hydrant, you are a human being.
The same concept applies to when someone calls you something that you
know you are not. They are foolish for saying such things, so why would
you react with such anger? The only exception is when someone calls you
something that is true! In this case, you should thank them for alerting
you to a weakness, one that you can now work on changing.
- Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.
This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at
all times regardless of the circumstances. Yes, this sounds like an
oversimplification of happiness, but I assure you that this book will
change you in an amazing way.
- Develop the ability to forgive.
Forgiveness is something that most people fail miserably at even
thought it’s so simple. Grudges only bring more misery to those who hold
them and prevent good relations with the target. YOU makes mistakes all
of the time so why not have mercy when other do? Remaining angry feels
horrible while forgiving someone brings a refreshing sensation to the
mind and healing to the relationship.
- Be the person that makes others feel special. Be known for your kindness and sympathy.
- Learn to lucid dream,
or to realize when you are dreaming so that you can control your
dreams. Sleep feels good, but it’s rather boring and unproductive. With
lucid dreaming under your belt, night-time can be even more exciting
than when you are awake. You can do anything: fly, travel to other
planets, party with a celebrity, get intimate with your dream boy/girl,
etc. Many lucid dreams have also reported being able to speak directly
with the subconscious during dreams by demanding to be taken to it after
becoming lucid. For those that know a thing or two about your
subconscious, that is a BIG deal.
- Visualize daily.
It has been said and proven time and time again that what you focus on
is what you get. If you complain all of the time, you will run into more
of the things you complain about. The same goes for good things like
health, wealth and happiness. So spend some time in the morning
imagining yourself achieving whatever it is that you currently desire.
Focus is key in this exercise, so choose a quiet environment where you
won’t be disturbed. If you’re having trouble focusing and continually
find that your mind has wandered to something else, read about
meditation in the following life tip. There is a lot more to this
concept, so check out the full article on visualization and the law of
attraction here.
- Meditate everyday for at least 20 minutes.
In this modern world where everyone is so connected to everything else
via cell phones, TV and internet, most people rarely enjoy the beauty of
silence. The ability to quiet your mind and relax your body is an art
and skill that everyone should develop. Simply sit somewhere, preferably
in nature, and focus on your breathing or try to think about nothing.
This is going to be extremely hard at first! You might find it boring or
just plain impossible to think of nothing, but you will get better and
you will learn to love it. Post-meditation, you will feel extremely
clear-headed and.. well, just plain wonderful. The only way to really
understand this sensation is to try it.
- Learn to control your mind.
What kind of skilled human are you if you cannot even control your own
thoughts? While the human mind is described as being a stream of
consciousness, that does not mean you can’t decide where your stream
flows. Techniques like meditation and the 3 ways to flush out negative
thoughts will aid you immensely in learning to control your mind.
- Learn to control your emotions.
The only person that can make you unhappy is you! You are the one that
decides to be affected by the words and actions of others. Realize this
so that the next time you experience a negative emotion, you can find
the strength within yourself to overcome it.
- Take a class in speed reading.
Books are full of information that can enhance your knowledge-base,
vocabulary and yourself as a person. Speed reading is an easy way to get
at this info faster so that you can have more time for other endeavors.
- Relax!
This one is for you workaholics out there (myself included). Yes, work
is very important and productive but you need to take some time to chill
out everyday or you are going to burn out faster than a candle with no
oxygen. Additionally, you need to reward yourself for a job well done.
What’s the use of doing all of that work if you can’t have a little fun
from time to time anyways?
- Work on making good first impressions.
Practice a strong, firm handshake and the small talk that generally
goes along with meeting someone for the first time. People won’t know
what to think of you if you have nothing more to say beyond “My name is
_______, nice to meet you.” Also make sure you remember names, as
mentioned previously. Who knows, you may be going into business with or
marrying this person you’re meeting for the first time if you make a
good impression. Be sure and make an excellent one.
- Learn to use your eyes to their full potential:
- Make
constant eye contact when in conversation. Looking away (especially
down) is a sign of inferiority and uncertainty. Instead, look at your
conversation partner dead in the eyes and keep them locked on
- Master
the piercing stare. You know when someone looks at you and it feels
like they can see into your soul? Well that’s not a hereditary
characteristic, it just takes practice. Work on sharpening your gaze in
the mirror. You’ll know you have it when it’s intimidating to continue
looking at yourself
- Master
the one-eyebrow raise. This one isn’t necessary by any means, but hey,
why not? Pick a brow to learn with and go look in a mirror. Raise both
of your eyebrows but use your hand to hold down the brow that you want
to stay down. This will probably feel very stupid at first but if you
keep trying, you will eventually pin down the muscle you need to flex to
get that one brow up
- Be mysterious.
Don’t let off everything about you and definitely leave out some major
details. There is something both alluring and mesmerizing about someone
who no one knows fully about. I’m not saying to confide in no one or to
alienate yourself. Just think James Bond.
- Come up with a life mantra.
You know, like “Carpe Diem” or “Live life to the fullest,” but not as
cliché. Make it something that really hits home with you so that you
will actually stick to it. Make sure it’ not so specific that it rarely
applies but also not so general that it’s not personal.
- Get good at something.
Call it a hobby or a passion, whatever it is, just get damn good at it.
Your occupation does not count! Make it something that you can practice
often enough to excel at. Examples: Magic tricks, surfing, ping-pong,
creating short films, and unicycling. It can be anything but I would
recommend choosing something that: 1) You are passionate about 2) You
can bust out at any moment to display your skills for any discerning
crowd. My mind goes immediately to aerobatics and break dancing, but
that’s just me.
- Work out those abs.
Above any other muscle group in the entire body, the abs are the most
important. They constitute your core, the center point of your body.
Your ability to balance comes almost completely from the strength of
your abdominal muscles and balance is vital to performance in any
physical activity. Summary: they’re very important. For more info on how
to work out your abs,
- Keep your brain sharp.
The majority of people are stuck in ruts. They go to the same job
everyday, hang out with the same friends and eat at the same places.
While that may feel safe, it’s not the most stimulating lifestyle for
your brain. Those synapses have been built up enough, so try something
that you do NOT know how to do! Buy a model car kit, master the art of
sudoku or crosswords, or go pick up another major at your nearest
college. The point is you need to be learning new things to keep your
brain honest. Form new synapses by forcing your mind to work in
ways it has not worked before. Just like physical workouts, doing too
much of the same exercise will eventually give no results. Switch it up!
- Read something inspirational right before bed and after waking.
This will set get you in a great mood for sleep and for the day. Read
anything from a famous speech to your favorite self-improvement book.
Try to read something that get’s you really excited in the morning
especially so that you’ll leave your house beaming with energy and
wonder.
- Do what you love.
There is a huge difference between making a life and making a living;
which one are you making right now? So many spend their entire lives
trying to make as much money as possible so that they can afford to do
what they really want later. It makes no sense to settle in life until
you’re 65 so that you can retire and do what you want when you’re
already WAY past your prime. We only live life once so why wouldn’t you
want to spend it pursuing your bliss? To do anything else would be a
tragic waste of the freedom you are allowed if you are reading this
right now. Follow your bliss and you will be a thousand times more happy
than your retirement date and 40+ years younger.
- Choose your friends wisely.
You are affected far more than you think by the people you spend your
time with. Do your friends share your values? Do they encourage you when
you speak of your goals and dreams or do they scoff? Make sure the
people around you are conducive to the lifestyle you want to lead or you
will find yourself being dragged again and again into behavior that
distances you from your desires. Friends with a habit of producing
negative thoughts will especially hinder you. This can be a hard task to
follow through with if you realize you good friend is one of these
saboteurs, but you must be firm! Don’t let anyone get in the way of you
being all that you can be.
- Don’t burn bridges.
By that I mean maintain your relationships with people even if you
think you are never going to see them again. For example, if you are
quitting your job, don’t chew out your boss before leaving! You might
run into him/her again later and life and wish you had never severed
ties so harshly. You never know when you might need the help of someone
you knew in the past. Plus there is already too much hatred in this
world, why add more towards the people you interact with?
- Keep a journal/diary.
It sounds like a very monotonous habit at first, but when you get into
it, that little book will become a great way to organize your thoughts
and track your growth over the years. Most of us already stay awake in
bed at night pondering the events of the day anyways so why not document
those thoughts in an organized fashion? That will allow you to look
back and observe how your way of thinking has changed over time.
- Read “New Pyscho-Cybernetics” by Dr. Maxwell Maltz.
This book will explain why the content of your thoughts has such a
profound effect on your life through religious, philosophical and
scientific arguments. A must read for completely understand who this
life thing works.
- Learn to use and trust your subconscious/intuition.
When you spend time in silence everyday, listen not for words but for a
feeling that tells you to do something. Do not mistake your own
reasoning and thoughts for those of your subconscious. If you can track
where the thought came from, (this thought led to that thought which led
to this thought, etc.) then it was not from your subconscious. Learning
to accurately discern between the two will allow you to tap into
knowledge that you don’t consciously have.
- Develop a charismatic personality.
You know, the kind of personality that is surrounded by people
constantly and is the life of the party. Start visualizing yourself as
THAT person. Maybe take a short course on dynamic speaking and learn
some jokes. Take the time to learn some party tricks and sleight of
hand. Most importantly, believe that you already are charismatic even if
you fail at being the center point of the next party. Lie to yourself
constantly and tell yourself that you are more warm and gregarious than
Ronald Regan. Belief is the first step! Reality will come soon after.
- Love is all there is.
If you truly want to be a master of life, let love be in your every
action. Love your friends, family and enemies alike. This is the most
difficult thing to do out of this entire list, which is why it is listed
at #50. But if you accomplish this, you will be seen as a leader among
everyone that allows hate, envy, disgust and all other negative emotions
into their lives. Think Gandhi. Love is so rare in this world when
compared to the massive presence of hate that by exuding love, you will
immediately see yourself and the people around you change. Love. Love.
Love
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