So September marks the start of Self Improvement Month in America and it's not hard to see why September would be a great month for this to take place! The children go back to school, the seasons start to change and the time for holidays is coming to a close again...we are starting to reassess and see where this year has taken us. So how can you make this an amazing month for you? Here are my top five powerful changes you could make this month. They may not sound amazing, or even particularly interesting but trust me...they are very powerful and so simple to implement when it comes to changing your life to one you love to live.
Try them out for the next 30 days and see for yourself...
1) Help someone
Not only does helping another bring relief to another, a smile to another and possibly some much needed support but it helps you too! It is a proven way to increase your own sense of self worth and to bring positive feeling into your body and mind. Helping another needn't be a big deal, just saying something genuine and complimentary can change someones day for the better. I saw a Facebook post today where someone had noticed a girl with her head down on her way into work and she stopped to tell her that she really liked her blouse and told her how pretty she looked and the girl lifted her head and went off looking much happier than before - that's powerful stuff right there and it didn't take a second, it didn't involve money or any investment of self, but it probably vastly improved the girls day and it obviously boosted the women who gave the compliment because she had mentioned it on Facebook. Everyone wins.
2) Set a routine
Routines used to bore me to death, I thought it was unimaginative, dull and conformist to create a routine for life...but, over the last few years I have noticed how a routine can help me to form habits that really make a huge difference, not only to how much I can get done in a day but also how I feel. I feel more in control, more at the helm of my own destiny and I also know that it is actually a way of giving myself a gift of time and investment on my own improvement. The difference is that my routine is now of my choosing, I have made choices based on what I want to achieve and therefore it doesn't feel dull it feels magical! Before I would base my routine around other people and therefore felt that it couldn't change - it could and it did, just as soon as I realised that there were things I did that I didn't need to do and other things that I could do differently.
3) Read more (learn more)
I love to read, I have bookshelves full of non fiction on everything from String Theory to Angels and I have read them all, some several times. My knowledge and understanding expands daily and although I don't have the kind of memory that can reel off facts and figures, I do have the kind of mind that gets the bigger picture and can pull things together across different disciplines to find the common factors - which I LOVE to do! For a list of my top ten recommendations on books that can change your life, you can read my post here Whatever you love to learn about, why not try to do this more and regularly (you don't have to read if you struggle with this, listen to them on Audio Book or watch TED talks). Do something in September that widens your view of the world and expands your consciousness about lots of different things. Take a course, work through a book, talk to someone whose views are different to yours...learn, learn, learn.
4) Meditate
Meditation is one of those things that people often think is a waste of time, it takes too long, it is too hard to clear your mind (who EVER has a clear mind) etc etc. It is though a very powerful and relaxing activity that actually doesn't have to take more than about 6 minutes...although I would recommend taking longer than that if you can. It changed my life when I first started meditating about 11 years ago. I have a meditation you can download as part of my 'Your Ultimate Journey to Dazzling Self Respect' if you want one to get you started. It is the same one that I have been using for over a decade, it is very simple, doesn't have to take long at all and doesn't require a great deal of visualisation experience either...give it a go and watch things change for you.
5) Walk
My partner and I have started going for walks regularly, just the two of us because we both recognised that during these times we had great chats, we came up with great ideas and it was an opportunity to reconnect after a busy day too. I will often go out for walks with my son as well and inevitably we get lost in a wood somewhere (last week we got a bit lost, got soaked in the rain and ended up having to climb a tree and jump over a fence to get back to the car!) but we always have the most interesting and revealing chats at these times. I walk alone too when I need to refresh my mind, let go of something, feel happier or just to move my body a bit after a day of Coaching. Walking cost's nothing, it gives the mind new surroundings in which to work through problems and it gives you a mental and physical boost, try walking for the purpose of just exploring - both your environment and your mind.
So...five very simple changes that you could make in September that can make a real and powerful difference if you implement them and follow them...what other changes could you make? Would you like to make even bolder changes this school year? Would you like to talk about those things you want to improve or reach for in a FREE 45 min Discovery Call? Who knows what this year could bring for you if you make that decision that you are committed to your own life and want to make it the best it can be...don't keep your happiness waiting!
Love Nova xxx
Great tips!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brenda!
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