This post is all about how you only need to make small changes to improve your life.

Yes, making small changes can make massive differences in your life and here are eleven simple tweaks that will do just that.

Most of us already know that if we are not happy, then we need to make changes to be happier.

But did you know that those changes can be achieved with subtle tweaks?

Small Tweaks Create Massive Changes

A lot of people want to improve their life because they are not as happy as they think they should be.

It might be that some of them have unrealistic expectations, but maybe all that is needed are a few simple changes. 

Not talking about anything major, just a few tweaks here and there. Some of you might only need a few of them to get to a quality of life that you choose to have.

For others, you may have to use most or of them if you are looking for significant changes.

Here are eleven little changes you could make that will improve your life.

Improve Your Life by Showing Gratitude

Embrace the daily practice of showing gratitude for what you have in your life.

For example, you can take a 20-minute walk. 

Get outside, smell the air, listen to the birds’ sing, and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

Take time to explore some green space and revel in Mother Nature and all she has to offer.

Some people find it easier to note their thoughts and appreciation in a Gratitude Journal.

There is something profoundly satisfying about the act of writing on paper that is so much better than typing on a keypad. 

Your journal can be a plain notebook or one with prompts on writing about your gratitude.

It doesn’t matter as the journal is a vehicle to save your thoughts. Putting pen to paper to write your ideas is what’s important.

Improve Your Life by Uncovering Your Life Purpose

Pause for a moment and focus on the reason you do what you do daily.

Figure out your “why”.

Why were you put on this earth? What are you here to accomplish? 

Some people choose an exercise like running or yoga as a way to find their life’s purpose.

They both have a meditational element that enables people to learn how to go inside themselves and find their purpose. 

Others prefer to experience the awe of nature.

There is no one size fits all solution. Experiment and find whatever works for you!

You’ll develop a whole new outlook on life once you connect with your life purpose.

You’ll have a spring in your step, your energy level will increase, and you will feel ready to take on the world! 

Our daily life gets so busy and chaotic that we get so wrapped in it that it becomes easy to lose track of what is important and why we are here in the first place.

Improve Your Life by Focusing On Your Health

The often-used phrase “If you have your health, you have everything!” is so accurate. If you do not have good health, then everything else in life is harder to achieve. 

Yet every day we see people abusing their health.

They overindulge in unhealthy food, smoke, drink too much alcohol, and use drugs. Some gain weight to the point of becoming obese and then resign themselves to the life of a couch potato. 

Then they complain about the lousy hand they were dealt when most of their challenges are self-inflicted.

Do you want to be that person?

A Positive Decision

Make a positive decision to live a healthier lifestyle. Focus on clean eating.

That is a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains. 

A lot of people are unsure about what to eat. I admit it can get confusing, so keep this simple rule in mind:

If it comes out of a package or from a drive-thru, avoid it. 

Your body also needs exercise to stay healthy. The AHA (American Heart Association) recommends getting a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.

That works out to just over 20 minutes a day to maintain your health. 

A mixture of cardio and strength training is ideal. Putting it simply, cardio focuses on fat burning, and strength training focuses on building muscle. 

The old excuse of not having enough time to exercise doesn’t work. Everyone can find time to exercise. You need to make it a priority. 

If you start exercising, after a while, you will find it has a way of making you feel good.

You will also find it increases your productivity, improves your emotional health, improves your outlook on life, and provides clarity on your life purpose.

Improve Your Life by Getting Quality Sleep

Our body recharges itself when we sleep. Repairs are made to our muscles and the body’s systems.

Incredibly, your mind and body are active all night, getting you ready for the next day. 

When you don’t get enough quality sleep, you start the day with a half tank of fuel instead of a full one.

You won’t get that far with half a tank unless you do something to fill your tank again.

Evaluate the reasons you are not sleeping as well or as long as you should.

It could be your mind keeping you awake by thinking about something that you need to resolve.

Or it could be environmental such as too much light or noise.

Look at the quality of your bedding and mattress, the temperature of your bedroom, the amount of light coming in through the window, the noise outside.

Everything including when you put your phone away before sleep. 

Change what is causing you the issues and get the rest you need.

Improve Your Life by Always Having A Goal

Having a goal fits in beautifully with discovering your life purpose.

Some people will flounder in the sea of life their whole time on this earth without ever accomplishing anything meaningful. 

When you have a goal, it gives you a purpose for getting up in the morning and getting on your daily grind.

It gives you a single focus for the day and creates opportunities for you to work towards achieving your goal. 

And what should you do when you attain your goal? Well, you set a new and loftier one! 

If you are have enjoyed life a bit too much and put on weight, your goal could be to live a healthier lifestyle and lose that excess weight.

Depending on how much you have enjoyed life, that goal could keep you going for a while!

Maybe you are at the point in your life when you want a change, that might mean a change of career or to downsize and travel.

It doesn’t matter what your goal is, just make sure it is SMARTER:

• Specific: State your end goal explicitly and without any ambiguity. It must explain specifically what has to be achieved and the expected outcome.

• Measurable: How are you going to gauge whether you are making progress? You must be able to answer this question: “How will I know that I have reached my goal, and the objective is attained, and what evidence is required to confirm it?”

• Attainable: this criterion emphasises setting a goal that is challenging but nonetheless reachable against the existing constraints. You also have to assess whether the goal is realistic bearing in mind the other objectives and goals that you already have. 

• Relevant: the goal must be tied to your priorities or ideally your life purpose for it to be meaningful. You also have to check whether the timing for the goal is appropriate.

• Time-bound: Set a timetable to specify an appropriate time frame for your goal. When do you intend to start and to end? What are the intermediate steps and critical milestones to accomplish it? Celebrate each accomplishment with a reward, but the reward should not sabotage the end goal. 

• Evaluated: When you define specific checkpoints and the expected related deliverables, you can evaluate progress towards the end goal. Do not wait to reach your time-limit before assessing progress. The process of evaluation allows you to get back on track to achieving your end goal in the time frame you specified.

• Revisit: on reaching the end of the time frame that you defined for the goal, run a final evaluation to assess your success in achieving your objectives. Revisiting the objective should become the starting point for setting your new goals. What lessons did you learn? What would you do differently next time? And why? If the goal was reached, remember to reward yourself. And if it wasn’t, recognise the accomplishment and effort that you put into trying to reach your goal. 

Improve Your Life by Making Happiness A Choice 

Yes, happiness is a choice! The mind is a powerful thing, and none of us uses it to its full capacity. 

We can use part of our brainpower to develop a more positive mindset. Note I wrote, more positive.

That presupposes we are all positive, to begin with.

Hmmm! 

It is harder to have a positive mindset than a negative one because most of us habitually focus on the negative aspects of our lives.

To break that habit, you need to make a choice. 

Could you make a happiness goal? We could strive to improve and enhance the quality of our life each day.

Even by just 1% each day. Imagine the cumulative effect after 30 days or a whole year.

Improve Your Life by Using A Stop-Doing List

Many people keep a to-do list, but a stop-doing list might be more relevant for many people. What is it? It is just what it sounds like.

Make a list of the habits you have that are unproductive, a waste of time or that don’t serve you. Be tough on yourself, don’t rationalise an excuse to hang onto it.

Ever use the lame excuse “I don’t have the time.” Once you record how you spend your time and identify the things you no longer need to do, you’ll find you have lots of time.

Now you have that time you couldn’t find to exercise or see your family. No more excuses! Give it a go. Once you start doing a stop-doing list, you will be amazed. 

Improve Your Life by Connecting With People

Humans are social animals. We like to be in the company of other people. Yet for some reason, some of us make a big mistake and divorce ourselves socially from others. 

Multiple studies show that people are happier when they are around other people. Even more so if they are positively-minded people. 

Fill your social cup daily by interacting with other people. Let them know how much you appreciate having them as a friend, relative… whatever. Showing appreciation will be good for both of you!

Get out there and connect. If you are not comfortable meeting in person, then connect on social media or call on the phone 

Improve Your Life by Making Learning A Life-Long Habit 

Set your intention to learn something new each day. This will keep your mind sharper and healthier for longer than if you do nothing and stagnate. 

Now is the perfect time to do something that you have always wanted to do. Something that you never seem to have the time to. And it doesn’t have to be book-based learning. 

Each person has their own interests. Some people love to travel and experience new sights, cuisine, sounds, and culture. I think this is learning at its finest. 

Even better if you learn a foreign language to help you with your travels. All this new activity keeps your mind sharp. 

Improve Your Life by Minimising Stress

Physiologically we need a certain amount of stress to survive.

But what was an occasional response for our ancient ancestors when they had a “fight or flight” situation, has become an all too common, everyday event for many of us. 

And that is when stress becomes an issue, both physically and mentally. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol.

This hormone is meant to reduce potential pain, increase your awareness, sharpen your senses, etc. All the things you need to either stand your ground and fight or to run like hell and flee.

The problem is that nowadays, our body interprets everyday situations as stressful and in response, dumps cortisol into our system far too often.

The consequence is that it leads to a lot of health-related issues because of it. 

The best advice is to reduce the amount of stress you are under.

You can try meditation or removing yourself from some situations. Warning that might mean getting a different job. 

Improve Your Life by Focusing On What You Can Control

Too many times, we see people that waste a lot of thought and energy on things they have no control over. It is an unproductive behaviour that you will never benefit from, except by getting more frustrated and stressed.

Logically we know all of that, but focusing on things that we have little control over is an easy trap to fall into.

Think back to when you were studying.

Wasting energy thinking about an exam result and the repercussions of that poor mark when you haven’t taken the exam yet. Putting yourself through an emotional roller coaster.

Instead, you could focus on the things you can control, like how you could spend your time revising for the exam. 

There you have it. Eleven small tweaks ways you that will help you make massive changes.

Never forget that small tweaks create massive changes when you look to improve your life. We all only have one life to live, so live it well, and be outstanding.

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