Paul McKenna Official | 7 Days To Change Your Life
The key to self-improvement in any facet begins with one simple truth:
Change is contingent upon your willingness to make the right choices.
I’m not talking about big, life changing decisions here. I’m talking about easy choices everyone can make to better themselves on a daily basis.
If you want to reach your fullest potential, start small.
Make it a goal to implement one new positive habit every day for one week.
This sounds more difficult than it is. Be consistent. Soon enough, days turn to weeks, weeks to months, and eventually, these habits will become part of you.
Here are 7 ways to inherently improve your life in 7 days :
1. Wake up at the crack of dawn.
Ahh, mornings — the best part of the day.
For those of you who know me, you know I’m an early bird. I naturally wake up between 6 and 7AM every morning, have a coffee, step outside for a breath of fresh air, and begin my day. And let me tell you, it’s exhilarating.
The first few hours of the morning are — without question — the most important part of your day. These are the hours of quiet tranquility; a peaceful introduction to the hectic day ahead of you.
Go make the most of them.
Even if you wake up and do nothing, the fact you were able to accomplish your goal of getting up when you said you would is liberating and will lead to more productive choices throughout the day.
2. Learn something new everyday.
Doesn’t matter what it is, where you learned it, how you learned it — whatever — just make an effort to learn something new every day.
Our brains are incredibly complex ecosystems of information that need constant positive stimulation. Often times we let our days pass without stimulating our brains beyond our daily routines. We need to make learning a priority.
If you’re reading this, you have access to the Internet. Restated: If you’re reading this, you have access to an infinite amount of information regarding any and every topic under the sun. Take advantage of it.
Whether it be reading an article about the future of democracy, looking up a new sponge cake recipe, or studying the migration of African elephants, go learn.
After all, knowledge really is power.
3. Cut out ALL unnatural sugar.
All of it.
Put down that soda, that Snickers bar, that sports drink and replace it with something healthy and sugar free. Yes — even Coke Zero. I know it has ‘no sugar’ but, in short, it’s killing you.
The majority of the population is so dangerously misinformed about nutrition it’s frightening. Sugar is detrimental to your gut and mental well-being.
If you want to avoid that midday crash you feel come late afternoon, start by cutting out sugar.
Eat natural, healthy, whole foods.
Start by replacing any sugary drinks with water and any sugary foods with fruit. The first few days might be rough, but you’ll get through it.
And in 7 days’ time, you’ll feel like an entirely new person.
4. Say goodbye to Netflix, Hulu, HBO… all of it.
A great friend and mentor of mine, Nicolas Cole, made an incredible point about technology:
It’s wonderful for consumption but detrimental for creation.
Most of us tend to use technology passively: we use it for consumption. Binge-watching Netflix and mindlessly scrolling social media for entertainment or affirmation are examples. What we need to do, is use technology actively.
View technology as a tool.
In what ways can it improve your daily routine? How can it help you be more productive?
Use it to learn, not to lounge.
5. Pick up yoga.
No — you don’t need the latest Lulu Lemon gear, a core-power yoga membership, or a fancy yoga mat to start your yoga journey.
And no — “I’m not flexible enough” is not a valid excuse. Actually, it’s just another reason to start practicing.
There a millions of excellent, free YouTube videos waiting for you to click ‘play’. Here is your opportunity to use technology actively and learn something new.
Taking 20 minutes out of your day to practice yoga is not a waste of time.
And if you think you can be more productive with that 20 minutes, you’re sadly mistaken.
Focusing on mindfulness and your overall well-being is ultimately more productive than sitting at your desk trying to power through that daily mental lull we constantly finds ourselves in.
6. Have one meaningful conversation per day.
This goes right back to the point about learning something new everyday.
We tend think of ourselves as pretty knowledgable beings. Most of our daily social interactions are brief, redundant, and meaningless.There are more than 7 billion people on this planet. Seven freaking billion. That’s 7+ billion minds 7+ billion unique perspectives. What makes you think yours is ‘right’?
We are social beings. The reason we’ve thrived boils down to social interaction.
Next time you’re in line at Starbucks or on the subway home from work, strike up a conversation with somebody. And no — “Hey man, how ’bout this weather?” doesn’t count.
Make an effort to learn through others’ experiences.
7. Journal before bed.
Take a pen, a note pad, and write.
Write what you liked about your day. Write what you missed the mark on. Write what you’re thankful for. Write what you wish to change about your life.
It doesn’t have to be long. Heck, you can write down one word for all I care. Just write something. We greatly overlook the importance of self-reflection.
If you really want to improve your life, reflect on it daily.
