by Lachlan Brown

When it comes to achieving your goals and living the life you want, I’m sure you’ve heard enough about “positive thinking” or “positive visualization” for one lifetime.  But if you’re looking for some practical strategies you can use, then check out the below 25 tips. It’s a simple list of practical ideas and habits you can implement in your life today. Let’s dive right in.

• Try rising early. This might not be for everyone, but many people find benefits to waking up early. Not only does it give you more time to exercise or focus on what’s important to you, but you’ll be more likely to get into a fixed routine.

• Do less. So many of us are rushing around in a great panic trying to get as many things as we can done. But what if you decided you’re going to do less? You’ll be less stressed and more mindful. You might get fewer tasks done but I bet you’ll be more effective.

• Slow down. Instead of rushing around, try to slow down when you walk, slow down when you drive, and eat slower. You’ll be so much more relaxed and willing to bask in the glory of the present moment.

• Practice patience. Patience truly is a virtue. When you notice yourself getting edgy or losing your temper, just acknowledge that whatever you’re doing is going to take longer than expected. Patience is all about acceptance and willingness to be with yourself.

• Practice compassion. According to the Dalai Lama, a life worth living is a life that helps others. If you make helping others a priority in your life, you’ll forget about your own problems and help people with theirs. Win-win!

• Find a hobby you’re passionate about. Find something you love to do and your life will be immensely improved.

• Set long-term goals. We all have our day-to-day lives but we won’t be going anywhere if we don’t have goals. Pick a goal you want to accomplish within a year and stick to it. If it’s learning a language, aim to learn 10 words a day. By the end of the year, that will 3650 words!

• Meditate. Despite what you’re led to believe, meditation isn’t some new age hippie practice with no practical benefit. It’s been around for thousands of years for a reason. It’s a great way to de-stress, clear your mind and learn about yourself.

• Get organized. Sometimes it can be tough to figure out what you want to do with your life when you’re messy and disorganized. So, instead, organize your goals, your belongings and remove the clutter.

• Simplify your life. Get rid of the stuff you don’t need. Only keep what’s essential. De-clutter, simplify your commitments, simplify your workspace and simplify your wardrobe.

• Appreciate what you have right now. One of the main reasons we aren’t happy is when we don’t appreciate what we have right now. But there’s always something to be grateful for. Simply acknowledging what you’re happy for every day can rewire your brain in fantastic ways.

• Simplify your finances. Cut down the number of subscriptions you’re paying for, cut down your credit cards, spend less, reduce your bills. Knowing what goes in to your account and what goes out will greatly reduce your stress.

• Constantly review your goals. Setting goals is important but making sure you’re actually on the way to achieving them is just as important.

• Understand your life mission. It’s important to think about how you would like to be remembered when you die – so you can start living the life that leads you to that now. Live with an ultimate purpose in your life.

• Plan your big tasks for the week and day. Have purpose about your day and work out what you want to achieve. Do the same for the week as well. You’ll get more done and live life with more positive intent.

• Maintain focus. One important step to living the life you want is to maintain focus. It’s tough in this highly distracted world but if you have your purpose and goals in mind, you’ll be fine.

• Enjoy the present moment. Goals are important and perhaps essential to live a fulfilling life. But you also need to enjoy the journey. Whenever you find yourself ruminating about the past, or being worried about the future, try to tether your mind to the present moment. By being clear on your goals and what you want out of life, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the tasks that you want to achieve.

• Spend time on your relationships. Relationships are crucial when it comes to happiness. After all, we are social beings.  Make sure you actually spend time on cultivating your relationships. Try to look out for your close ones and understand what they’re going through.

• Eliminate debt. This is a huge way to relieve stress and make yourself feel secure. It make take a couple of years, but with a plan, you can get out of debt.

• Enjoy the simple pleasures. There’s so much to be grateful for in life. Food, sunsets, sand on your toes, reading…take the time to enjoy them!

• Keep a journal. You could write about days, your feelings, whatever you like. It’s a great way to clear your mind and bring clarity to your thoughts.

• Read more. Reading is one of the best ways to gain wisdom and insights about life. Nobody ever feels worse by becoming more knowledgeable.

• Limit your social media use. Social media is great way to connect with people, however spending too much time on it can become a bit of waste. If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling your Facebook feed, it might be time to pick up a more productive habit.

• Take time every day to just be with yourself. Being comfortable with alone time is crucial to happiness. Learn to sit in silence and appreciate the downtime for your brain.

• Stop comparing yourself to others. This is hard to do, but it can be a great way to accept who you are and what you have. Realize that we’re all unique with incredibly different circumstances. It’s really impossible to compare.