IT SEEMS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS THESE DAYS…
- How can I better my financial situation?
- How can I increase my ability to connect with people and find lasting and fulfilling relationships?
- How can I find peace, joy and contentment in my life?
Isn’t it interesting how even though fashion, music, communication methods and cultural icons are always in a state of change, our deepest desires seem to remain somewhat unaffected and untouched? So, what actions do we incorporate and what steps do we take that can lead us to the answers of these universal questions? Well, there may be many, but here are three that you can do right now that aren’t difficult at all.
1. Read FIVE pages of a good, positive book each day.
Now, even though they may be great for relaxation and fun, Harlequin romance novels and comic books don’t apply in this instance. On the contrary, make it a book that develops you as a person…one that stimulates your mind and increases your knowledge. There are a number of great authors out there who have written content just for that purpose. Experiment and ask questions of friends and family who are avid readers of self-help books.
This small action may seem insignificant until you do the math. Reading just 5 pages of a good book each day for 365 days will lead you to have read 1,825 pages in one year. That’s equivalent to reading about 10 books. The knowledge and inspiration to which you will have exposed your mind will have an enormous impact on you and the people around you.
2. Make your attitude each day be reflected in the question,
“How can I make someone’s life better today?”
Now, I know this goes against everything our “it’s all about me” society has adopted, but when you survey the greatest and most impactful people in the history of our country you will quickly notice that this is the question they all learned to ask and answer. Here are some examples:
Sam Walton – Walmart
Bill Gates – Microsoft
Ray Kroc – McDonald’s
Steve Jobs – Apple
Phil Knight – Nike
These individuals learned to take their ideas and impact the lives of people all over the world. Likewise, any individual who wishes to achieve lasting success must adopt the philosophy of not “what’s in it for me?” but instead “what’s in it for them?”
This same idea can be implemented into businesses, families and even personal relationships. The most pleasant person to be around is the person who makes us feel good about ourselves…the person who listens to us and is genuinely interested in what we think is important. It takes a conscience effort and some practice to put this idea into practice, but the payoff is priceless. When we make life better for others we inevitably make life better for ourselves as well.
3. Spend FOUR minutes each day in reflection…
TWO minutes in the morning and TWO minutes at night.
This seems too easy to make any sizable impact but on the contrary, the impact it brings can be immeasurable.
Just taking time each morning and each evening to reflect upon what we are thankful for…the
relationships with our kids, our family, our friends and our creator can go a long way in reducing our stress
levels but in also reminding us of why we do what we do and what is truly important to us. It is so easy to
get “caught up” in reacting to life’s situations that we tend to forget to enjoy the moment. Taking time to
reflect on the positive things in our lives and the moments we experience every day can be instrumental in
all aspects of our health and well-being. Likewise, it can help increase our productivity as we are reminded
of the road we have traveled and also the one before us.
So if these things are so easy to do, what stops us from doing these and other activities that require very
little effort but produce significant benefits? Unfortunately, sometimes things that are “easy to do” are also
“easy not to do.” It is easy to put them off because the results, good or bad, do not show up immediately.
Everything reveals itself through time.
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have,
and only you can determine how it will be spent …”
– Carl Sandburg
For more information on Dave Davlin, click here.