9 Secrets of Truly Happy People from DumbLittleMan.com

9 Secrets of Truly Happy People

It’s pretty safe to say that at the end of the day, there are really only one or two things that truly matter. Making money, finding fame or prestige, owning the right toys – if you’re honest, these things are not the be-all end-all, are they? Wouldn’t you agree that your ultimate intention in life is to live well and be happy?

Of course the definition of those two things can and should differ wildly from person to person. For you, happiness might be directly related to achieving a certain self-assigned purpose. Or it could be about nothing more than relaxing and enjoying the company of those closest to you. And there’s no right or wrong here, not by any means. But here’s what is true – if you don’t take the time to think about what would make you happy and put steps into place to direct your mind, body, and spirit in that direction, then there’s a fair chance you’ll never get there.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some truly happy people over the years, and believe me, there are definite secrets to their success in this area. Let’s take a look!

1. They know what really matters
   It’s so easy to become swept up in a busy life, isn’t it? People jump hurdles just to convince themselves that it's time to work on those all important and possibly life-changing goals, then they wake up one day and realize 10 years has passed.
   
   The truth is that it’s hard enough to commit to doing what’s really important even if you know what ‘it’ is. I’ve come across two great techniques for this - the first is a little morbid, but it really does work. Think about what is going to matter to you on your deathbed. Is it a close relationship with family and friends? Is it bucket-loads of money stashed all over the world? The prestige of having reached a certain level within your career or business? Worldwide fame and acclaim? What is it that would make you proud of yourself? Happy with the way you’ve lived your life?
   
   Write a shortlist of at least 10 points. Secondly, think about and write down 10 goals that you’d like to have achieved a year from now. I just re-did this little exercise myself; it was extremely motivating. Try to address every important area of your life – a few suggestions would include finances, relationships, work, living environment, health and fitness.
2. Choose just 2-3 important projects for each year
   It’s great to have a nice long list of goals but the truth is that dreaming too big can set you up for failure. Your life is busy enough as it is. I’ve heard it said that most people dramatically overestimate what they can achieve in a year, and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade. While it would be nice to complete all your goals in their entirety each year, it’s probably not going to happen. Sorry. But think about this – what if you were guaranteed to accomplish just 3 of those goals. To finally get your body to where you want it to be, to pay off your debts completely and start saving, to start your dream business, etc. How incredible would that be? Wouldn’t you be so darn proud of yourself?
   
   In my experience it’s realistic to choose just 2-3 really big projects for each 12-month period. You can have a bunch of smaller things on the go as well, of course. Take a moment now and review your goal list – which 3 things would make the most dramatic difference to your life?
3. They put time aside for them each day
   You’re never going to find time to do everything on your list. As fast as you manage to check things off (and let’s face it, even that doesn’t happen every day), new things will be added by you, by your family, by your work. You just can’t stop the onslaught and the faster you accept this, the easier your life will become. The good news, however, is that you can always find time for the most important things - even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
   
   When you wake up each morning, invest 5-10 minutes in planning your day. What really matters today? What is the most important thing that you can do for yourself? For your family? For your career? When you look at your task list you’ll notice that some things are definite ‘A’s in terms of importance, in terms of how they relate back to your goals. Yet strangely they are often the tasks left till later. It’s easy to start the day with emails, social networking, and admin. But it ain’t gonna change your life. Commit to 30 days of doing first things first every single day. This should generally relate directly to one of your 3 big projects. I guarantee that in doing this you will be able to watch your life slowly change.
4. They surround themselves with people who motivate, inspire or build them up
   Did you know that you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with? One of my mentor’s said this to me at the start of the year and it really stuck in my head. I’ve heard much the same thing said in other ways by other great people, and let’s face it – it just makes sense. The people you surround yourself with, the books you read, the courses you participate in, the shows you watch – all of these are a sure predictor of where you’re going to be 5 years from now. So where are you headed?
   
   It might be time to re-evaluate just who or what you let influence you. If you can’t identify people in your life who you aspire to be like financially, or in business, or indeed in any aspect of life, then it’s time to look around for some new friends. Paying a good mentor or coach is one way of doing this, but regularly reading and learning from uplifting blogs is definitely another very useful method, and one that I’ve used to great benefit.
5. Happy people eat well
   Kinda obvious, I know, and yet somehow healthy eating still seems to so often fall by the wayside as soon as we become busy, or stressed, or, well, hungry. Or is that just me? Eating well is about so much more than optimal health, disease prevention, and maintaining a certain look. It’s the foundation of every aspect of your being. The foods that you eat directly affect your body’s ability to produce hormones, for example. Your hormones, in turn, directly affect your moods, your mental focus, your energy, your rationality, your ability to make important decisions and your libido. Not to mention your metabolism and the way in which your body stores or sheds fat. Suffice to say, investing the time and energy into planning a healthy diet pays off a thousand fold when it comes to true happiness.
   
   Simple rules to follow include cutting out processed or packaged foods (this includes white flour products – all of them), reading labels (avoid synthetic chemicals, trans fats, sodium, and added sugar), eating smart fats at every meal (oily fish, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, organic meats), including animal protein where at all possible, and loading up on green veg. For more information on healthy eating, check out the following great posts on this site:
   
   The 11 Most Important Rules For Healthy Eating...Yes, Most Important
   
   How To Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle When You're Too Busy To Care
   
   How to Find Time to Cook Healthy Meals
   
6. They take time to play or to just ‘be’
   It’s fairly safe to say that the average kid is happier with themselves than the average adult. And they’re certainly not afraid to take time out to play or just be. In fact, it’s encouraged! When did this stop being okay for us? Think about it for a moment – how long has it been since you’ve ‘gone out to play’? Most of the entertainment or time out in our lives is scheduled long in advance, highly structured, and often involves the need to dress formal and act like a grown up. Bor-ing. What’s more, it’s generally the first thing we sacrifice if things suddenly become hectic.
   
   Here’s a tip – it’s okay to have spontaneous fun. Once in a while you should play hooky from work or your business and just do whatever you darn well please. Fly a kite, throw a Frisbee, or (my fave) just lie on your back in a sunny park and day-dream. If the idea of unplanned fun scares you a little then you’re just going to have to schedule it to begin with. But think outside the square – grown up play can be just as simple and cheap as child’s play, and it could be more enjoyable than those swish restaurant nights out. Funnily enough, right after I finished writing this post I read Leo Babauta’s latest post on Zen Habits, and it adds some great detail to this point. Check it out here – How To Be Childlike
7. They learn not to make excuses, justify, or cop out
   Sometimes life happens and the best made plans are laid to waste (and there’s nothing you can do about it). Fair enough, but what isn’t so fair on your own success or happiness is when you fall into a pattern of constantly excusing your lazy behavior – even if only to yourself. Over the years as a personal trainer I’ve noticed there is one very clear distinction between those who get great results and those who don’t – the ability to make excuses or cop out. “I had to pick up the kids; I had a headache; I had period pains; I didn’t feel well; my boss kept me back; I slept through my alarm; I just didn’t have time”.
   
   When something is important to you, you’ll make time. If even for just a few minutes. You’ll make it part of your life; part of who you are. And you won’t even have to consider whether or not you’ll do it – it will just happen. And the best part of that? Nothing beats the feeling of making a commitment to yourself and keeping it. Week in, week out. Believe me, that’s well worth any sacrifice you have to make.
8. Happy people take time to be grateful – for themselves and for others
   I can’t remember where I first came across the concept of a grateful list, but it’s been hugely effective in helping me to gain perspective over the past few years. And that’s even though I rarely remember to add to it. (Note to self)! It’s very simple, really – all you need to do is write a list of things you’re grateful for. If you’re consumed by stress and worry this can be tough to do, but so much the more effective.
   
   Start with the obvious – you’re alive. You have a roof over your head. You can read and write. You have internet access. You have clothes on your back. This stuff gets the ball rolling, but where it really makes you sit back and think is when you can find little things to be grateful for. For example (and I battle with this one a fair bit) – choose to be grateful for having someone in your life when so many don’t after you have a big argument with a loved one who just won’t see your side. Decide to say thank-you when things get tough at work – maybe it’s just the wake-up call you need to find something you really love. If you’re a freelancer and your work is rejected yet again, decide that it’s a positive thing – it means you’re one step closer to success. Edison failed over 1,000 times before successfully creating the light-bulb. What else can you be grateful for? It’s important to acknowledge yourself here as well – the fact that you got out of bed the past 365 days, the times when you did that workout you didn’t want to do, or followed through on some important but previously procrastinated task.
   
   Learn to appreciate the little things and the rest will follow.
9. They get something done
   At the end of the day, nothing really matters except that which you make important. Whether it’s family or friends, making money, pursuing your hobby or dreams, honing and toning your body. The choice is yours. But regardless of what it is that you think will make you happy, it all comes down to action. Choosing to get involved in your own life. Realizing that life is now and then taking steps to make your life what you want it. Deciding that you’re somebody who says “this is what’s going to happen” rather than wakes up 10 years from now and says “what the heck just happened!”. And if you’re going to be that person (the first one), then now is the time to decide that. To think about what you truly value, to commit your dreams or goals to paper, and then to get something done. Anything – but today. Because really, tomorrow never comes. Does it? So you might as well live life now.

My recommendation? Don’t ask too much of yourself. You’re not going to feel happy or at peace by trying to adhere to a strict set of goals or ideals – mine or anyone else’s. But it just might be worth trying one of the above steps today. And another tomorrow. And so on. Who knows where this process will take you? I’d say it’s worth a shot, wouldn’t you?

Wayne Dyer’s Top 8 Tips for Building a Better Social Life

by Henrik Edberg.  Print

Image by kalandrakas (license).

“Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.”

“Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.”

One of my favourite personal development people is the psychologist Wayne Dyer.

He seems to be a very warm person but he also someone who takes a lot personal responsibility and is assertive.

This is reflected in his work. He’s kind but he’s not here just to make you feel good. Through a no-nonsense approach he makes you realize obvious – but sometimes uncomfortable – things about how pretty much all of this is up to you. And how many things are quite simple but you are standing in your own way and overcomplicating it all.

Dr. Dyer’s advice can be applied to just about any part of life. Today I’d like to take a few of his thoughts and see how they can help you improve your social life. If you would like to read more from Wayne Dyer then two really solid books to start with are Pulling Your Own Strings and Your Erroneous Zones.

1. Your relationships are in your mind.

“As you think so shall you be! Since you cannot physically experience another person, you can only experience them in your mind. Conclusion: All of the other people in your life are simply thoughts in your mind. Not physical beings to you, but thoughts. Your relationships are all in how you think about the other people of your life. Your experience of all those people is only in your mind. Your feelings about your lovers come from your thoughts. For example, they may in fact behave in ways that you find offensive. However, your relationship to them when they behave offensively is not determined by their behavior, it is determined only by how you choose to relate to that behavior. Their actions are theirs, you cannot own them, you cannot be them, you can only process them in your mind.”

“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.”

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

How you choose to interpret people and your relationships makes a huge difference. So much of our relationships may be perceived to happen out there somewhere.

But your underlying frame of mind – for instance an open one or a protective and closed up one – will determine much about your interactions with new people and people you know.

So you really have to go inside. You have to realize that your interpretations from the past are interpretations. Not reality. You have to take a look at your assumptions and expectations and thought habits. Find patterns that may be hurting you (and others). This isn’t easy. Or always pleasant. You may discover that you have had some negative underlying habits of thought for many years.

But to change you have to do it. Instead of just keep looking at yourself as some sort of unmoving and objective observer of the world and reality. A change in you could – over time – change your whole world.

2. Let go of the need for approval.

“People who want the most approval get the least and the people who need approval the least get the most.”

A lot of the actions you take – or do not take – may be because you need approval from other people. When we are young we get grades in school that tells us that we are “good”. This makes it very easy to create a life where you always go looking for the world to give you the next hit of approval. It may be from your family, boss, friends, co-workers and so on.

But this need creates neediness. And the stronger the need the stronger the neediness. And so other people will sense this. And approval may be withheld or used to manipulate you. Or they may just not like your neediness.

The people on the other hand that does not care that much about getting approval often do more of what they want deep inside. They may be considered courageous for instance. So the way they live their lives will gain appreciation and approval from the people around them. It’s a bit counterintuitive.

But it seems to me like this is how things work. If you really want approval in your life try letting go of that need – as best as you can of course, this is not easy – for a while. See what happens. You’ll probably be surprised by how much better you feel inside and the reactions you may get from the outside world.

3. Let go of judgement.

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.”

“Real magic in relationships means an absence of judgment of others.”

“Judgement prevents us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”

Judging can have a sense of fun to it and make you feel better about yourself as you put someone else down. So why give it up? Here are three reasons:

• People don’t like judgemental people. People don’t like to be judged. So there will be a resistance towards someone who is judgemental.
• Waste of time. You can spend your time doing more fun, constructive and positive things.
• The more you judge people, the more judge yourself. What you see in other people is often what you see in yourself. So if you judge them all the time for their looks or intelligence then you probably judge yourself often about these things too. To let go of judging others can lead you to letting go of judging yourself too. As you lift the limitations you put on others, you lift the limitations you put on yourself.

4. Enjoy the moment.

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.”

One technique that can help you improve your social skills is assuming rapport.

Basically, instead of going into a conversation or meeting nervously and thinking “how will this go?” you take different approach. You assume that you and the person(s) will establish a good connection (rapport).

How do you do that? You simply pretend that you are meeting one of your best friends. Then you start the interaction in that frame of mind instead of the nervous one.

But why does it work? Well, I’d say it works because it puts you in the same mental state as when you are with your friends. When you’re with your friends you are relaxed, positive, in the present moment and without many cares in the world. This is a great place to be socially. You are just enjoying yourself and your moments with your friends without much thought of the past or future. You are just there. The more you can bring yourself into this mental headspace the more fun you will have with people. And the more fun they will have with you.

So try out assuming rapport. And explore other ways to bring yourself back into the present moment through articles like this one or by checking out Eckhart Tolle’s books (two good are A New Earth and Stillness Speaks).

5. People like positive people.

“Unhappiness is within.”

“Simply put, you believe that things or people make you unhappy, but this is not accurate. You make yourself unhappy.”

Now we are back in the same territory as in the first tip in this article. How you feel is up to you. You control you.

This is important to understand to be able to create and keep a more stable positive attitude. If you let what other people do control – or at least control you too much – then you are on a mental rollercoaster where your thoughts and feelings go up and down all the time. You have to look within to find a great stability to how you think and feel.

I’d say that one of the most attractive qualities a person can have is a positive attitude and energy. It is attractive to people at your job/school, family, friends or just that cute girl/guy in the bar. I think that one of the big things people want in any relationships is positive emotions. People simply want to create a flow back and forth with people where all of you exchange positive emotions and feel good.

Building yourself a more positive attitude will of course not only make you more likeable. It can also improve every other part of your life. Check out Take The Positivity Challenge! for more tips on how to create a positive attitude.

6. You teach them.

“Maxim for life: You get treated in life the way you teach people to treat you.”

This is a very important point and something I think is perhaps often missed by people who want to improve their social lives and make it more positive. They may think “well, I have been so nice towards everyone for the last few months but it doesn’t seem to have changed their behaviour towards me much”.

This is the “nice guy/girl” problem. S/he is very nice but there is no assertiveness. There is no changed feeling within about how you feel you deserve to be treated. You may still be nice just to get approval from other people. You feel the craving need. And as point # 2 explains, you won’t get the approval.

We do to a large extent choose how we want to be treated. How you expect people to treat you can have a big effect on how you allow yourself to act and how people around you view and treat you. If you start creating a role for yourself where you always let people do what they want to you then you may create some pretty destructive and negative things.

• You may create an identity for yourself where you get used to always taking whatever anyone doles out. You create a kind of victim identity where you may look happy on the outside but don’t feel so good on the inside. But since you have gotten used to it after a while you may accept it and think that: this is just who I am.

• You may create a concept in the minds of the people around you that it’s OK to treat you this way. Either because you seem so positive despite what they are doing so they think it’s OK. Or just because you aren’t saying no and some people may take advantage of that.

Look, you can’t please everyone. I think both Eleanor Roosevelt and Buddha have mentioned something along the lines that whatever you do there will always be people who don’t like what you are doing. And that’s OK. That’s normal.

Going around trying to please everyone at your own expense isn’t healthy though. Or even a realistic thing to attempt. It eats away at you both mentally and physically.

So be nice. Be positive. But make sure you set your own standards, rules and limits too. And remember that you might as well do what you want because there will always be critics.

7. Take responsibility for your social life.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”

I really like this quote from Nathaniel Branden’s excellent The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: “No one is coming”.

You can look for the next big thing that will fix you. Read more blog articles. Read more personal development books. Look for people to help. And yes, some articles or books or people will give you insights that resonate deeply with you. But in the end, if you are an adult then no one is coming. No one is coming to save you. You have to take responsibility for your own life and what happens in it. Other things and people can certainly aid you quite a bit. But you are responsible.

You can go around blaming society or some people for your problems in your social life (or finances or health). You can always find scapegoats to judge and thought that feel better about yourself. For a while. You can look for people that will “fix you”. You can do this for the rest of your life if you like. It won’t change much. Whatever has to be done, it’s you who have to take responsibility and do it.

Yeah, things might always not go your way and you will probably have bad luck from time to time. But you still have to focus on yourself and doing what you can do in whatever situation may arise in the outside world.

8. Like yourself.

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.”

Liking yourself is vital to live a happy life. If you like yourself people will of course like hanging out with your more too. A person who likes him/herself, who is positive but also assertive is a lot better than the opposite.

Obvious, yes but the hard thing is how to go about liking yourself more. This is a topic that has filled many books but here are few tips that have helped me.

• Follow the rest of tips above. For example, taking more personal responsibility, working on your attitude and being more assertive consistently will make you feel better about yourself.  
• Do the right thing as much as you can. When you do the right thing you lift your own self-esteem. When you don’t do the right thing you tend to stay at the same self-esteem level that you are at the moment (or perhaps even lower it).
• Be appreciative of yourself, don’t just look at your flaws. By appreciating the positive and good things that you think and do you can replace the need for approval from outside sources. You are giving yourself approval instead. This is a lot better than the alternative, because this is an unlimited source that you are in control of.

What's Easy. What's Not.

A great blog by Christine Kane. You can find her stuff at: christinekane.com/blog.

What’s Easy. What’s Not.

It’s easy to be right.
It’s not easy to be kind.

It’s easy to hope.
It’s not easy to know.

It’s easy to complain.
It’s not easy to make requests.

It’s easy to have all kinds of retorts for the other person if they’d just shut up.
It’s not easy to listen.

It’s easy to be busy.
It’s not easy to be productive.

It’s easy to criticize.
It’s not easy to create.

It’s easy to say you don’t feel like it.
It’s not easy to do it anyway.

It’s easy to obsess.
It’s not easy to meditate.

It’s easy to resent people who take up your time.
It’s not easy to say no in the first place.

It’s easy to make excuses.
It’s not easy to take responsibility.

It’s easy to worry.
It’s not easy to make a plan.

It’s easy to come up with reasons why someone pissed you off.
It’s not easy to ask yourself how you participated.

It’s easy to dabble.
It’s not easy to commit.

It’s easy to flip the bird to the idiot driver behind you.
It’s not easy to just move out of his way.

It’s easy to fire off an angry email or blog comment.
It’s not easy to pause and breathe and clarify your feelings.

It’s easy to react to an angry email or blog comment by firing one back.
It’s not easy to pause and breathe and clarify your meaning.

It’s easy to say you don’t know what you want.
It’s not easy to admit what you want.

It’s easy to let a kid watch TV.
It’s not easy to find ways to play with a kid.

It’s easy to do urgent things.
It’s not easy to do important things.

It’s easy to say it’s too hard.
It’s worth it to do what’s not easy.

1000 Marbles

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles". I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part." "It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear." "Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles." Jeffrey Davis

Great people

I'm no longer sure where this came from but I love this article that I once found on the web. I love the concept of how we meet new people and then start to learn the negative things. Hmmm.....and then the great people come along and we don't find those negatives. The story at the bottom is a favorite of mine too. Makes you wonder what kind of stories people tell about you.....


The real Idea that I wanted to discuss is who are the truly great people? How do you know when you have met an honest to goodness great person.

Though we can think of many aspects that define a great person; ethics, charity, love, integrity, there is one idea that I heard that really helps to narrow it down.

The difference between the not so great and the great is, that the more you get to know the not so great person the more dirt you find on them, on the other hand the more you get to know the truly great person the more you see things to give you proof of their greatness.

I once heard a story of a community leader with incredible integrity and love who was asked to be a witness in a trial. He was not of the christian faith and would not swear on the bible. A police officer was called to give character witness about him and told the judge this story. The leaders home was broken into and as the thief was leaving the leader returned and tried to take his belongings away. The leader then began chasing the thief down the street yelling “I forgive you”.
The judge asked the police officer if this was really a true story? The officer replied “I can’t say for sure, but they don’t tell these stories about you or me.”

Find Truly Great People. Learn from them. Grow.

Ten Things to Do Today

Ten Things to Do Today from thesimpledollar.com. I love this article especially numbers one and two.

1. Play with a child. There are only 6,574 days between a child’s birth and their eighteenth birthday. Don’t waste a single one.

2. Keep that wallet in your pocket. Time is money and money is time - don’t spend either without a good reason.

3. Stop and smell the roses. You’re never too busy to enjoy the simple pleasures that life affords you.

4. Tell someone that they’re doing good work and that you appreciate it. Then tell their boss about it.

5. Do something you’ve never done before. You might have a hidden talent you’ve never known about.

6. Take a step towards one of your goals. You have goals, right? If you don’t know what the next step is, figure it out - that in itself is a big step.

7. Laugh out loud, and make someone else do the same.

8. Put some money away for the future. Anything at all, even if it’s just a dollar. One dollar a day starting at birth in a 4% savings account adds up to $120,000 at age 65. If you put away a bit more than that and just leit it be, you won’t have a thing to worry about when you’re old, just chasing a grandchild across the yard.

9. Tell someone you love them. Your mother, your wife, your child, a person who influenced your life a ton - whoever you love.

10. Do something unexpectedly kind for someone else, just to help them out. If they ask you if you want repaid, tell them to just do a favor for someone else.

If I can do all of these things today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that - then I’m in the process of living a truly rich life.

From Daymakermovement.com

Daymaker:
I used to find myself sitting on the sidelines of life and hoping the world would somehow become better. But just wishing doesn't help. Now I realize I must actively be the change I want to see in the world.

My life's work is to serve others, and influence them to do the same. I feel like a daymaker warrior. This means that no matter what I face each day, I remain determined to find a way to bring joy and hope to people around me. I focus on having calmness, compassion, humor, and a positive attitude. We can take comfort in looking back at the end of our lives to recall how many people we have touched in positive ways. How happy we will feel that we have led productive lives full of love and joy. It would be a tragedy not to be able to look back on our lives with pride and satisfaction. What we experience is up to us. We cannot change the past and the mistakes we have made, but we can learn from them and make the most of each day ahead. Have an extraordinary life by making the days of everyone you touch, Act out of concern for others. As you do this more often, you will develop the habit of Daymaking. You will think less of your own concerns and more of the impact you can have on another's day. You will find peace and joy. Kindness will become effortless and unconscious. It will become who you are. You will fill your life with perfect moments."