Personal Development Archives - Page 15 of 30

11 Things You Should Do Before 8 AM | Productive Morning Routine

Who doesn’t like a good morning routine? In case you need some new inspo for yours, here are 11 things you should do before 8 AM.

1. Make Your Bed

Making your bed first thing in the morning is your first accomplishment and sets you up for a good day.

Also, it helps you fight that urge to lie back down later on during the morning.

And lastly, it creates order in your room which helps you be calm and focused straight from the getgo.

2. Drink lots of water (and take any supplements you have)

I don’t need to tell you how important hydration is. It’s necessary for clear skin, optimal focus, efficient learning, and overall health.

Also, from a purely practical perspective, it’s good to drink a lot early on because you most likely won’t drink as much while out of the house.

After all, not everyone has the free water refillers at school or at work, and don’t even get me started on the horrors of public restrooms.

So, drink a good amount of water early on.

The easiest way is by pairing it with your supplement intake since many supplements are supposed to be swallowed with water anyways.

3. Write down three things you are grateful for

The more you practice gratitude, the more often you will feel grateful for the life you live.

Gratitude is also great against any negative emotion. You can’t feel truly grateful and yet angry or anxious simultaneously. Instead, focus on gratitude to get out of your emotional slump.

Now that we’ve cleared a few reasons why gratitude is worth practicing let’s talk about why we should do it as one of the first things every day.

The reason is that your brain is especially receptive in the early minutes of wakefulness.

Also, your morning tends to preclude the rest of the day. So if you start the day strong, it’s easier to continue like that throughout the rest of the day.

In other words, a grateful morning increases the chances of you finding things to be thankful for throughout the rest of the day.

4. Write down three positive affirmations

Affirmations help you focus on your goals and prime your mind to achieve them.

Ideally, you should use affirmations throughout the day every time you feel worried or insecure about something.

However, the best time to let affirmations work their magic is in the mornings when your brain is still in a more receptive state.

Make sure to formulate them positively and in the present tense, such as ‘I’m punctual instead of ‘I am not going to be late.’

Also, avoid writing the same three affirmations every morning. And make sure to not only focus on your long-term goals but also on small goals like having a good day at work or finding the perfect parking spot.

5. Write down one character trait, skill, or experience that makes you feel worthy of your dream life

A lack of self-worth is the root of many of our self-sabotaging habits and problems in life.

Logically, you might believe yourself to be worthy of success, health, and loving relationships. But unconsciously, it’s very likely that you still harbor some self-worth issues that date back to your childhood.

Things as simple as your friends complaining about you being annoying once can create the deep-rooted fear of not deserving their love.

Or perhaps your teacher or parent made you feel like you are less intelligent than others. This can cause you to subconsciously sabotage your success as an adult because you still think you’re not smart enough to deserve it.

As you can see, it is almost inevitable that you have some mental baggage affecting your self-worth. Furthermore, there will be plenty of situations in the future that will create new baggage.

That’s why it’s so important to work on your self-worth consistently.

A small but still valuable way to do so is by pointing out one of your character traits, skills, or experiences that make you feel worthy every morning.

6. Eat breakfast

This is a bit of a controversial topic. Many people don’t eat breakfast, and others seem to have a whole feast.

Personally, I really enjoy my cereal. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the morning.

In the end, it’s your own choice of what you do. There are supporters of both sides. At the very least, make sure to get hydrated properly and not just by drinking coffee.

7. Move your body, work out or do yoga

Movement gets your blood pumping and helps you to wake up properly.

Also, unless you absolutely adore working out, you will likely use your busy day as an excuse to avoid working out in the afternoon or evening.

But the morning belongs to you alone. You don’t have to work yet and can wake up early enough to get in at least 10 minutes of some movement.

8. Do you skincare

Skincare seems unnecessarily tedious and expensive; I get it.

However, if you’ve ever seen the picture of the old truck driver, whose face is immensely wrinkly on the side that got all the sun for years, you should understand the importance of skincare and suncream.

Also, if you have acne or any other skin condition, it is a good starting point to take more care in treating your face.

Just make sure to select products with healthy ingredients. They don’t even have to be expensive. There are websites and apps that can give you a quick analysis of the ingredients of most products. Use them!

9. Checking off your habit tracker for the previous day

Of course, this can be done either in the evening or directly after accomplishing each task.

But hopefully, you are so in the flow of things that you don’t even think about your habit tracker during the day.

And by doing this the next morning, you’ll have a great motivational boost for the day ahead.

Seeing your consistency laid out like that before you will make you want to uphold the habit streak even more.

Also, looking at your habit tracker in the morning can be a good reminder of any new habits you’ve planned to do but might easily forget otherwise.

So take those couple minutes every morning before 8 AM and keep track of your habits.

10. Check your plan for the day

Optimally, you already planned your day in advance the evening before; if not, do this now.

It doesn’t have to be an intricate plan with specific time slots for every task.

It’s more than enough to write out a short to-do list with the most important tasks and appointments you have coming up.

Just make sure to keep it short. We have the tendency to underestimate how long something will take, so make sure to keep your to-do list below what you think you can get done that day.

If needed, you’ll surely find enough tasks that can fill any spare time.

If you did your planning before going to bed, make sure to bring that plan to the forefront of your mind again. This way, you won’t forget anything and be set up perfectly for a productive day.

11. Spend a few short minutes updating yourself on the latest relevant news

It’s often difficult to have a healthy relationship with the world’s news.

Some people watch and listen to the news all the time, be it through a news broadcast or social media. And while it’s great that they stay up to date with what’s going on in the world, it also means they get bombarded with negative headlines over and over again.

Other people are tired of this constant anxiety-producing negativity and shut the news out altogether. This might make them feel better but can eventually pose problems when they miss out on important information.

So what to do about it?

First of all, make sure to not consume any news – be it political, weather or gossip – for the first hour of your day.

We do our gratitude and affirmations during that time because our brain is especially receptive during the first wakeful moments. Logically, that means we should avoid negative input of any kind during that time.

Later in the morning, take a few short moments to update yourself.

I’ve recently started doing this through a few Podcasts. The individual episodes range from 100 seconds to 15 minutes. So it’s a very low-time commitment that is easily squeezed into the day.

Are you ready to uplevel your morning routine with these ideas? If so, write ‘MORNING’ in the comments down below.

Also, what additional ideas do you have for things you should do before 8 AM?

We always love to hear your recommendations.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

Essentialism Book Review | 11 Lessons + Quotes

Blog, Books, Personal Development

Essentialism by Greg McKeown helps you achieve more happiness and success while doing less. Here are its book review, lessons, and quotes.

Book Review

Ok, first of all, let’s talk about aesthetics because the layout really made this book stand out to me. I absolutely adored the black pages and large quotes! The graphics and small summaries were also helpful.

Content-wise, Essentialism was a refreshing reminder of how small but important changes can make life so much easier and more fulfilling. The book was easy to read, motivating, and inspiring.

Lessons

1. Say NO the majority of times and YES only sometimes

“The overwhelming reality is: we live in a world where almost everything is worthless and a very few things are exceptionally valuable.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Humans are social creatures wired to seek approval and acceptance because being cast out of the tribe meant certain death.

So unsurprisingly, we succumb easily to self-sabotaging habits such as people-pleasing, FOMO, and peer pressure.

Most of the commitments and opportunities we say yes to are sadly a waste of time.

They’re neither the best way we could have used this time nor do they bring us a significant amount of joy.

So really, it’s only logical that we should say NO more often.

But getting over old habits is hard. You don’t just have to behave differently; you need to be a different person – an essentialist, to be exact.

And for essentialists, the default answer to any opportunity or request is NO. Only in the rare case that the choice you are presented with ticks all the boxes should you say YES.

But remember, that’s not going to happen very often!

2. If you didn’t already have this task/object, how much would you give to get it?

“By quietly eliminating or at least scaling back an activity for a few days or weeks you might be able to assess whether it is really making a difference or whether no one really cares.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

A great tip to separate what’s essential from what is unnecessary is by asking yourself how much you’d be willing to do or give to have this in your life.

So, if you weren’t already offered this job opportunity, how much effort would you put into getting it?

If you weren’t in a relationship with your partner already, how badly would you want to start dating?

This line of questioning is immensely valuable to outplay the Endowment effect, leading us to believe that what we own is more valuable than we’d see it as otherwise.

As a result of this effect, we tend to have difficulty letting go of burdensome tasks and possessions.

So make sure to ask this question often and rid your life of the baggage you carry around.

3. Work smart, not hard!

“Pushing oneself to the limit is easy! The real challenge for the person who thrives on challenges is not to work hard.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

We live in a hustle society that praises hard work. We celebrate people who pull all-nighters, study 12h a day, camp out on a ratty couch while building a business, and walk around groaning about their business.

Despite its name, ‘hard work’ is not actually hard for many people nowadays. Instead, it seems to have become their default state.

Sure, hard work is, to some extent, vital to succeed in this world. But isn’t it far more impressive to see someone achieve success through a minimum of hard work and while having a high-quality life?

4. Prioritizing sleep boosts your work

“Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritize.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

All-nighters are not the way to go for great success. On the opposite, it robs you of the mental energy to produce work of high quality.

So cherish those 7 to 9h of daily sleep! Without it, you have to work much longer hours and will most likely still not be able to reproduce the results you’d get in a high-energy state.

5. When making a decision, if it’s not a clear YES, it then should be a NO

Essentialists are cutthroat when making decisions. They are not willing to spend their time on anything but essential tasks.

One very quick way to filter for those high-value tasks is by watching your initial reaction to them.

If you immediately think ‘heck yeah, ‘ you should most likely go for it.

However, if you need to weigh the pros and cons before finally convincing yourself to take someone up on their offer, then you should rather not do it at all.

Of course, this tool needs to be applied carefully. After all, there are many tasks we dread doing, even though they are good for us.

Especially anything that gets you outside your comfort zone and fights against limiting beliefs or bad habits.

6. Cut your losses and uncommit

In psychology, the term sunk-cost bias describes the resistance we feel against abandoning a project in which we’ve already put a considerable amount of time, money, or effort.

This tendency is understandable; after all, it could always take just a tiny bit longer till success strikes.

What separates the most successful people famously from the rest is their perseverance and resourcefulness in times when everyone else would have given up.

However, there is a fine line between heroic persistence and foolish stubbornness.

Essentialists cut their losses sooner than most people. This saves them a lot of time, money, and effort to invest in more productive pursuits.

7. Establish your boundaries early on and don’t allow exceptions

“Boundaries are a little like the walls of a sandcastle. The second we let one fall over, the rest of them come crashing down.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Many people let others stamp over their boundaries as if they weren’t there at all.

They think, ‘oh, just this one time, I’ll make an exception. Unsurprisingly, it rarely stays at that.

Essentialists know that their time is one of their most valuable assets. So what would it say about their self-worth if they’d just give it away like sweets to everyone who wants it?

That’s why they have unwavering boundaries that stand firm even at the cost of upsetting others.

8. Build in a buffer of 50% to any plans you make

“Essentialists accept the reality that we can never fully anticipate or prepare for every scenario or eventuality; the future is simply too unpredictable. Instead, they build in buffers to reduce the friction caused by the unexpected.”
– Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Let’s be honest; we all tend to underestimate how long something will take. Especially if it’s not something, we regularly do.

Planning in too little time for a task ends in stress, disappointment, anger, and guilt.

Luckily, there is a very easy way to avoid all this unessential drama: Building in a buffer.

You can, of course, decide for yourself how much of a buffer you need. For example, Greg McKeown recommends planning 50% more time than your first estimate.

So if you think it’ll take you one hour to drive to work, you should get out of your house 1 1/2 before you need to be there.

9. Always remove the biggest obstacle first

There are always multiple obstacles we need to overcome between any goal and us.

It’s easy to fall into the habit of dealing with the smallest obstacles first, especially when you are overwhelmed and would rather not do anything.

But essentialists know that your energy is most effectively used if directed at the biggest obstacle first.

Removing this one big obstacle can make everything else far easier while chipping away at one small goal after the other isn’t going to make the biggest impact.

10. Make sure to always have a crystal clear intent

Without clear intent, you spend your time and energy on many different things which will not all lead in the same direction.

By comparison, if you can channel all this hard work in the direction of your intent, you will stop running in a hamster wheel and instead make leaps and bounds ahead.

So why don’t more people determine their intent before they take any action?

Well, it takes both time and undivided focus to find your intent.

Also, you might just learn that there really is no sense in what you are doing. And that is always uncomfortable to admit.

11. You can multitask; you just can’t multi-focus

I’m sure you’ve heard by now of the scientific finding that your brain can’t multitask. Instead, it switches rapidly between the tasks you are doing at the same time.

However, Greg McKeown says that yes, you can multitask. After all, we drive a car while singing to a song and cook while listening to a podcast.

The key is to combine a task that requires focus with a task that you’ve done so often it’s become mindless to you.

You can multitask as long as you don’t need to multi-focus!

Well, that’s it for Essentialism 101. To get a deeper understanding of the topic, you should get a copy of the book. It’s definitely worth a read.

If you intend to do so, or if you’ve already read to book, comment ‘ESSENTIAL’ down below.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

11 Ways To Live A Miserable Life | Habits Of Miserable People

Blog, Personal Development

Hey there, folks! Ever wonder what it takes to live a life that’s, well, less than inspiring? You’re in the right place because we’re diving headfirst into the world of miserable habits. No, we’re not here to promote gloom and doom, but rather to help you identify those joy-stealers and kick them to the curb. Whether you’re guilty of a few of these yourself or just plain curious, join us in this eye-opening journey to explore 11 ways to live a miserable life. Trust us, by the end of this, you’ll be itching to embrace the brighter side of life.

1. Staying in Your Comfort Zone

So, you’re all snug in your comfort zone, watching life pass by. But here’s a harsh truth – there’s no growth to be found here. Real progress, those big leaps toward your dreams, they happen when you embrace discomfort.

Yep, that’s right, stepping out of your cozy cocoon is the first step toward personal growth. Imagine a world where you only do what’s comfortable – dreams would stay dreams, and life would become a mundane loop.

Worse still, staying in this comfort bubble will make you anxious when life throws a curveball your way. So, if you’re looking for a recipe for a miserable life, make comfort your best friend.

2. Settling for the Bare Minimum

Greatness is achieved by going above and beyond. But not just in the things you enjoy doing but in everything else as well.

After all, how you do anything is how you do everything!

By only doing the bare minimum in life, on the other hand, you will only ever experience the bare minimum of life as well.

And life is hard. Everyone has experienced this at one point or another.

The extraordinary often makes life beautiful, like that especially gorgeous sunset or this thrilling love story you’ve never experienced before.

However, the extraordinary is only achieved through exceptional effort. This is why a sure way to live a miserable life is by only doing the necessary.

3. Choosing to Settle for What You Have

We all hit rough patches, times when life deals us a less-than-ideal hand. The easy route is to settle, to accept that things are as they are and we should make peace with them. You know, the whole “better the devil you know” idea. But guess what? That’s a recipe for misery.

Escaping your current situation and forging a better path takes courage, determination, hard work, and a sprinkle of patience. It’s not a cakewalk, but the transformation is undeniably worth it. Don’t be the one who settles, be the one who thrives.

4. Unshakable Realism

You should be realistic, right?

After all, there is no use in chasing unattainable dreams and getting disappointed, right?

Wrong.

Strict realism is only going to create a miserable life for you.

Think about it. Have you ever met a so-called ‘realist’ who seemed to glow with happiness and who was passionate about their life?

Most likely not. Most people who call themself realists have more the vibe of a depressed and cynic pessimist.

They don’t dream big and enjoy the magic of visualizing themself living a dream life.

They don’t believe in miracles and don’t feel looked out for by the Universe or God when a ‘coincidence’ happens.

They don’t realize that by staying realistic, they rob themselves of some of the most important keys to a happy life and create a miserable life instead. Don’t trap yourself in this limiting mindset.

5. People Pleasing Over Self-Prioritization

People will always have requests, and sometimes, they’ll demand you to be someone you’re not. The easier path? Give in, avoid conflict, and follow the crowd. But let’s be real – this is a one-way ticket to misery.

True happiness thrives when you’re free to be who you are and do what you love. It’s not selfish; it’s essential.

Remember those airplane safety videos that remind you to secure your mask before helping others? That wisdom applies to life too. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s how you become the best version of yourself.

So, put your oxygen mask on first.

6. Chasing Instant Gratification

In a world where you can get almost everything on demand, it’s no wonder we have become impatient.

We can watch thousands of movies and series with only a few taps on a screen.

We can purchase most items with a few clicks and get them delivered within the next few days.

In other words, we’ve been terribly spoiled.

And while we know that spoiling a child rotten will create problems later on, we don’t realize that the instant gratification of our every want is sabotaging us as well.

Because a lack of patience will lead you to a miserable life.

Patience is needed to develop every skill, especially since the beginning tends to be frustrating and full of failure.

The best things in life require patience and faith in the eye of a snail-like process.

You can’t build a successful blog or YouTube channel overnight.

You can’t become the leading expert in your field within a few weeks of work.

And you certainly can’t have a deep and passionate relationship within a few dates.

So a great way to join the rank of miserable people is by following the path of instant gratification with every decision you make.

7. Isolating Yourself from Others

Listen, I get it. Being around people can be exhausting. Sometimes it seems like every annoying or stressful situation could have been avoided if we’d just stayed at home.

Especially introverts know that much happiness can be found in solitude.

However, the pandemic has shown more clearly than ever to most of us that self-isolation eventually leads to unhappiness.

We all crave a friend to share a meme with, to celebrate wins, and to rant about life’s curveballs. Social media friendships, though valuable, can’t replace the richness of real-life connections.

So keep that in mind the next time you isolate yourself from your friends. This could be the beginning of a miserable life.

8. Living on Autopilot

Routines are comfortable and efficient. But they’re also terribly boring after a while.

Humans need safety and enough variety in their lives to find real happiness.

A life purely by routine doesn’t provide that variety. Surprise, spontaneity, and adventure do.

But most of the time, we have to push ourselves to be spontaneous or go on adventures.

It takes courage to do something new, especially if you’ve been stuck in your routine for a long time.

But hey, you won’t have to bother pushing yourself if you’d rather be miserable for the rest of your life.

9. Stop Learning Actively

Consistently learning new things and adapting to our rapidly changing world has never been more important than right now.

As Tony Robbins said: “If you are not growing, you are dying.”

Life will become much harder if you don’t keep up to date with technical, economic, and societal changes. Your career will also plummet if you let everyone overtake you.

Last but certainly not least, actively straining your mind by learning new things is a good habit to keep your brain in great shape as you age.

Despite all these good reasons to actively learn new things, most people decide that the end of school also means an end to intentional studying.

And hey, if your goal is to live a miserable life, keep on doing that!

10. Ignoring Stress Management

Being stressed not only puts a great strain on your happiness but it also has tragic and lasting consequences on your physical and mental health.

Some amount of stress can’t be avoided in our fast-paced world. However, great amounts of chronic stress are down to the habits in your life and can therefore be broken by implementing better habits.

Things such as meditation, a digital detox, changing your job, spending more time in nature, going to therapy, and moving out of the city can all work wonders on your stress levels.

But hey, if you enjoy living a stressed and miserable life, go right ahead and keep doing what you are doing.

11. Living in the Past or Future

Being mentally stuck on the past or the future instead of focusing on the present at hand is a miserable mindset. The past is often filled with regrets and other negative feelings while anticipating the future can make you very anxious.

Of course, there is also joy in good memories or the hopes for a better future. However, you need to be in the present first and foremost, or else you’ll be sure to create more regrets and miss out on a great future.

And there you have it, folks – a closer look at 11 habits that can seriously put a damper on life’s grand parade. But remember, life is too short to let misery take the reins. So let’s make a pact to bid farewell to these gloomy tendencies and make way for a brighter, happier, and more fulfilled version of ourselves. We’ve got this!

Thanks for joining us on this journey, and here’s to a future filled with positivity, joy, and all the good stuff that makes life truly amazing.

Cheers to a brighter tomorrow! 🌟😊

11 Tips To Be More Consistent | How To Stick To Habits

Blog, Personal Development

Our habits dictate the kind of life we live. That’s why we must learn to be more consistent and stick to good habits.

Here are 11 tips that will help you.

1. Use visual streaks

Streaks give us a feeling of pride. Seeing our streak grow longer provides us with an endorphin rush that pushes us to add to that streak day after day.

That’s why companies like Snapchat included a streak function into their product. It makes you more willing to use it every day.

To be more consistent with your habits, you should take a page out of their book and integrate a streak system into your own life.

There are many ways to do this:

Get yourself a habit tracker pdf and use it digitally or as a printout
Draw out your own habit tracker in your bullet journal
Fill a glass with marbles or coins or post-it’s for every day of consistency
Mark your streak with colorful dots on your wall calendar for every day you’ve upheld it

Especially, the latter two ideas can help you to be more consistent. Such visual streak trackers motivate you to get the job done and remind you of it throughout the day.

2. Plan rewards for different milestones

There are two things that motivate all living beings: pain and pleasure – or the carrot and the stick.

I don’t think you should outright punish yourself if you don’t manage to be consistent with the habit you’ve set out to do.

Often enough, we are already way too harsh to ourselves, and we should rather practice some more self-love through kindness.

That’s why we want to choose pleasure to motivate us into being more consistent!

You should come up with a couple of ways to reward yourself if you’ve managed to do your habit consistently for 7 days, 14 days, a month, and so on.

You can even reward yourself daily if that works for you.

These treats could be watching a new episode of a series or buying yourself some flowers for your room.

Just don’t treat yourself with cheat days. This will only make it harder to pick up the habit again.

3. Keep your WHY in mind (vision board, journaling, reminder)

People like to have a reason why they need to do something, especially if they dislike it.

So make sure to keep a reminder of your ‘WHY’ close by.

Put it on a vision board, journal about it, or set reminders on your phone that will make you remember the underlying reason for all your effort.

If you’ve struggled to be consistent, chances are you don’t have a strong enough ‘WHY.’

Take the time to dig deeper and find a compelling reason to be more consistent with the habit.

4. Make them doable

“Complexity is the enemy of execution.”
– Tony Robbins

It’s no wonder you struggle to be consistent with your habits if you set your goals too high.

The book Atomic Habits talks about breaking habits down into their smallest component.

Each small component should naturally lead into the next one.

And if the first one is easy enough to accomplish, you will soon find yourself doing one after the other and finishing the whole habit without even realizing it.

5. Set reminders

We live in perhaps the most amazing time of humanity so far, a time that provides us with technological tools for most problems we encounter daily.

So take advantage of that and use one of the countless notification tools and set up a visual and/or acoustic reminder for the habit you want to do consistently.

The key is to set the reminder not just for a random time during the day but for a time that will provide enough space for you to actually do the habit right away.

6. Use the 5-Second-Rule

Setting a reminder for the habit you want to accomplish is helpful and smart.

However, it will be useless if you don’t act immediately upon it.

The longer you wait between hearing or seeing the reminder and accomplishing the habit, the bigger your chance of talking yourself out of doing it.

That’s where Mel Robbins’ 5-Second-Rule comes in.

The rule basically says that as soon as you start thinking about something you should do right now, you should count backward 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and then act.

This will help you circumvent all the self-sabotaging thoughts that could keep you from being consistent.

Try it out for yourself!

7. Make it fun

It’s, of course, easier to be consistent at something if you enjoy doing it.

Luckily, there are many options we can choose from when it comes to making something more fun.

For example, you can listen to an audiobook or watch a series during your workout.

Journaling can be paired with listening to music (as long as it isn’t distracting).

Your daily reading session could be done while you sunbathe or while you take an actual bath.

And for meditation, you can get a device like the Muse Headband that gives you immediate feedback on your performance.

The point is, you shouldn’t just accept something as dreadful or boring. At least try to find a way that will make it more interesting!

8. Make an accountability declaration

You can do this with an accountability buddy who will breathe down your neck and watch whether or not you stick to the habit.

You can also do this by posting online about your new goal. Even if no one checks your progress, the feeling that you would embarrass yourself if you’re not consistent will give you a useful motivational boost.

9. Do it poorly rather than not at all

While it’s often true that quality trumps quantity, for the purpose of consistency, it is actually more beneficial to do something badly rather than skipping it entirely.

Because even if you’ve stumbled your way through it, at least you’ve reinforced the habit of showing up and getting started.

After all, showing up is most often the hardest part.

So make it as easy as possible for you and allow yourself to do it lazily if that’s all you can get out of yourself that day.

10. Don’t have cheat days

I know cheat days are very enticing. They can also be one of the prime motivators for someone to power through doing something they don’t like.

However, cheat days prevent you from making this task a consistent habit without many struggles.

Don’t get me wrong, in the long term, you can definitely skip a day here and there if life gets in the way.

But especially in the beginning, daily practice is the best thing you can do to be more consistent with the habit.

If you keep it up, it will be so ingrained in you that it will feel weird to skip a day.

11. Make sure to have a lot of energy

It’s not talked about enough, but physical energy is one of the most crucial components for a happy and successful life.

After all, you can be together with the love of your life, be passionate about your job, and have cultivated amazing habits, but none of these things will work out if you are always sluggish and tired.

You won’t be consistent with your habits if you are tired and frustrated.

It will feel like the hardest battle to accomplish anything in such a state. Most likely, you just want to sleep or mindlessly watch Netflix.

That’s why to be more consistent, you also need to raise your energy levels.

You can do this partly by getting quality sleep and eating high-quality foods.

Another huge energy changer is your physiology. Studies have shown that standing in a superman pose just for two minutes can significantly alter your emotional state.

So take care of how you stand, walk and sit at your desk. These things matter because they affect your energy, and your energy affects everything else.

What habits do you want to do more consistently? I’m currently working on getting into the habit of meditating daily.

If you are committed to leveling up your consistency, write ‘Consistency is KEY‘ in the comments.

As always, we are rooting for you, Felicity Seeker!

30 Quotes About Journaling | Quotes From People Who Keep A Journal

Blog, Personal Development, Quotes

Whether you’ve thought about taking up journaling or getting back into the habit of it, these journaling quotes will get you motivated and inspired to do so.

The quotes will also show just how many people see journaling as a crucial part of their day.

And if so many people swear by it, surely there must be something to it. Right?

Either way, I hope you enjoy these journaling quotes!

Quotes From People Who Journal

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.” – Mina Murray

“I never wrote things down to remember; I always wrote things down so I could forget.” ― Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” – Jen Williamson

“Journaling is the perfect way to shift your emotions immediately and process your feelings without judgment, so you don’t get stuck in unpleasant experiences.” ― Kristen Butler

“Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not.” – Martina Navratilova

“The best time to begin keeping a journal is whenever you decide to.” – Hannah Hinchman

“In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself.” – Susan Sontag

“Journaling is a great way to pay attention to “how it all came to be.” In looking back, you gain insight into (and appreciation for) your challenges, lessons, and perseverance.” – Melissa Stenginus

“Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.” – C. S. Lewis

Journaling Quotes That Inspire

“People who keep journals have life twice.” – Jessamyn West

“If kids reflect on their days, they will become better problem-solvers of life.” – Trevor Carss

“Journaling can be an excellent way to increase self-awareness, discover and change habits.” – Akiroq Brost

“Journaling is paying attention to the inside for the purpose of living well from the inside out.” – Lee Wise

“Documenting little details of your everyday life becomes a celebration of who you are.” – Carolyn V. Hamilton

“There are certain things that make me relax, like writing my journal. That’s the only time that I’m relaxing. It’s the only time I really get to examine myself.” – Jessica Simpson

“Just as a good rain clears the air, a good writing day clears the psyche.” – Julia Cameron

“Your subconscious mind is trying to help you all the time. That’s why I keep a journal – not for chatter but for mostly the images that flow into the mind or little ideas. I keep a running journal, and I have all of my life, so it’s like your gold mine when you start writing.” – Jim Harrison

“Whether you’re keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it’s the same thing. What’s important is you’re having a relationship with your mind.” – Natalie Goldberg

“I don’t journal to ‘be productive.’ I don’t do it to find great ideas or to put down prose I can later publish. The pages aren’t intended for anyone but me. It’s the most cost-effective therapy I’ve ever found.” – Tim Ferriss

“Journal writing gives us insights into who we are, who we were, and who we can become.” – Sandra Marinella

“This is what the best journals look like. They aren’t for the reader. They are for the writer. To slow the mind down. To wage peace with oneself” – Ryan Holiday

“Almost every morning I write in my journal. I’ve been keeping it for a long time – I’ve filled more than 50 books. I write about what’s going on in my personal and spiritual life or what’s going on at work. It helps me keep things in perspective, especially when things get crazy or I get stressed or we have obstacles.” – Blake Mycoskie

“Journal what you love, what you hate, what’s in your head, what’s important. Journaling organizes your thoughts; allows you to see things in a concrete way that otherwise you might not see.” – Kay Walkingstick

“I think a lot of journal articles should really be blogs.” – Nate Silver

Quotes That Will Get You Hyped For Journaling

“A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to become. It is a perfect place for you to think, feel, discover, expand, remember, and dream.” – Brad Wilcox

“Keeping a journal is the number-one best way to develop your written voice.” – Camille Perri

“I try and journal every day, and that’s where a lot of my lyric comes from.” – Jessie Baylin

“I keep a journal, and every day I write down one great play that I had that day. I don’t write down any negatives.” – Heather O’Reilly

“I write journals and would recommend journal writing to anyone who wishes to pursue a writing career. You learn a lot. You also remember a lot… and memory is important.” – Judy Collins

“I started writing one afternoon when I was twenty, and ever since then I have written every day. At first I had to force myself. Then it became part of my identity, and I did it without thinking.” – David Sedaris

20 Finals Week Quotes | Quotes For Students

Blog, Personal Development, Quotes

Finals week sucks. It’s nerve-wracking and exhausting. Luckily, I’ve got some motivating, inspiring, and funny finals week quotes for you!

These are not just quotes about studying and finals week. They are also about education in general and funny thoughts that you might enjoy in such a stress-filled time.

Let’s get into it!

“When it’s finals week and you’ve been studying for five hours straight, you need three things to get you through the nigh. The biggest Slurpee you can find, half cherry half Coke. Pajama pants, the kind that have been washed so many times they are tissue-paper thin. And finally, dance breaks. Lots of dance breaks.” – Jenny Han, We’ll Always Have Summer

“How to study wisely: (1) don’t skip classes; (2) study early in the day; (3) study in isolation; (4) keep your energy levels high; (5) actively recall the material and quiz yourself until you’re completely satisfied.” – Cal Newport

“Homework, I have discovered, involves a sharp pencil and thick books and long sighs.” – Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

“I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.” – Bill Gates

“When I was growing up, I’d study for days trying to get good grades. When I’d get an ‘A,’ I’d feel elation for about 30 seconds, and then a feeling of emptiness.“ – Andrew Yang

Quotes About Studying + Education

“Undistracted by schooling, one studies best during vacations” ― Carlo Rovelli, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

“Dear Math, please grow up and solve your own problems. I am tired of solving them for you.” – Funny Yearbook Quote

“My advice to students is always the same, “Hit the Books – Before the Books hit you!” ― Kurt Bryan

“Failure is success if we learn from it.” – Malcolm Forbes

“Grades are still important, buy they are not the most important things. As clichéd as it is, the things you learn outside class is more important than the textbooks you blindly memorize in time for exams.” ― Marcella Purnama, What I Wish I Had Known

“Why study things of no use? To learn you don’t need it and concentrate your efforts on what is important to you.” ― J.R. Rim

“Recipe for success: Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing.” – William A. Ward

Finals Week Quotes For Students

“Education enables the humans to achieve their fullest mental and physical potential in both personal and social life.” ― Abhijit Naskar, The Education Decree

“If you don’t do your revision properly, you know what’ll happen? YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” ― actor Sir Ian McKellen

“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.” ― Venus Williams

“Law school is a test – not a test of strength, creativity, or intelligence – but one of endurance. A law student’s greatest nemesis is not mastering legal concepts, but enduring the hours of solitude, which endless studying requires.” ― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“When you do exams, you never want to be the one who finishes first, and you never want to be the one who finishes last.” – Anthony T. Hincks

“Grades don’t measure tenacity, courage, leadership, guts or whatever you want to call it. Teachers or any other persons in a position of authority should never tell anybody they will not succeed because they did not get all A’s in school.” ― Thomas J. Stanley

“Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg didn’t finish college. Too much emphasis is placed on formal education – I told my children not to worry about their grades but to enjoy learning.” ― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” – Natalie Portman

Which quote was your favorite? And what subjects do you have to tackle in your finals?

We’re always curious to hear from you.

And if you are determined to rock your finals week, send us ‘ACE IT!’ down below. Let’s root for each other!

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!