The question on reddit was straightforward: “What’s a simple thing someone can do to better their life?”
14,000+ comments later, there’s so much great stuff to share!
Let’s dig into these 25 tips and be better people, yeah?
25. Marie Kondo would be proud.
Declutter your living space.
It’s not exactly easy the first time but when you get rid of the things you don’t ever use (minus a collection) it really clears your head
24. Handle that money, don’t let it handle you.
Create a budget.
There are so many free tools available online that it really is simple.
Take a few minutes each day to monitor your spending/saving and you’ll thank yourself later.
23. The best policy.
Be more honest.
But don’t be a douchebag about it.
22. Celebrate the small things
Have achievable short term goals.
Reward yourself appropriately when you achieve them.
21. Focus on the good.
Remind yourself of the good things you have. Even if it’s something as simple as a roof over your head, the bed you sleep in, or the phone you use to browse Reddit with.
Also, acknowledge positive things about yourself. Whether it be your hair, your style of clothing or something you accomplished when you were younger.
It sounds cheesy, but for those of us who focus more on the negative aspects of life, it does help to remind yourself that there are hidden gems in there too and its important to take notice of them.
ETA: If you are struggling with something, it’s perfectly okay to acknowledge your pain/anger/sadness etc. and allow yourself time to work through it. Reminding yourself of the positives is just to keep you from getting completely bogged down in the negativity.
20. The opposite of backstabbing.
Compliment people behind their backs.
It seriously reduces the drama you have to deal with in your day to day life.
Especially do it to co-workers.
19. Boring = happy.
The habits that have made life less stressful for me sound boring and lame:
Eat real food.
Get sleep.
Be on time.
Look decent.
Be polite.
Do what you say you’re going to do.
But boy do they make a difference. I spent my twenties and thirties fighting against these things, believing they’d make me boring.
Well, they have, but I’m happier.
18. Better late than never? Naw…
“To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be forgotten.”
-My college football head coach.
17. Exercise your creativity!
Delve into your fantasies every once in a while.
As people get older, they tend to lose a lot of that spirit which allows them to sit around thinking of amazing things.
Picture some fun stuff! Picture some impossible things which, although they don’t exist in the real world, do exist in your mind.
Although it’s important to keep a firm perspective on the real world, let yourself daydream a little.
Better yet, put it down on paper. Write a little story, draw a picture.
One of the best things about humans is their ability to be creative. I think it’s important to never lose that creativity.
You never know – you could be sitting on an imagination which is capable of creating best-selling novels or world class paintings.
16. Apologies are key.
Be willing to give genuine apologies when you are wrong.
No excuses, no justifications, just, “I screwed up by doing X, I see now that it (affected you this way). I should have done Y. I’m sorry.”
This shows that you have thought about it from their perspective, care how they feel, and want to do better by them.
Apologies that start with justifications or excuses often feel hollow to the recipient.
15. Vitamin D, yo!
Open some blinds my dude and let some sun shine in your house in the mornings.
It always made happy.
14. Let it go…
Don’t hold on to anger.
13. Gulp!
Drink more water.
12. They always remember how you made them feel…
Consciously try to make someone else’s day better.
It will almost always make you feel better too.
11. Seize the fucking day!
Since i started living by the mindset “it’s better to look back and laugh at what you did than look back and wonder what could’ve been” I’ve been more confident, happy, outgoing, and caring.
Basically; talk to that cute girl, ask for help when you need it, work out, diet, help those in need, offer help, learn new things, the list goes on
10. Mind your mind.
Don’t ignore their mental health. It is everything.
9. Garbage be gone!
You need to throw out all the garbage from your head.
Understand what makes you unhappy and try to change it.
8. No. More. Dishes.
After you finish using a dish or cup, wash it right away.
7. Name the no.
Give the negative voice a name in your head and any time you think something negative, tell that name to stop it.
When you associate a name with it, it’s no longer you saying it, it’s them. We don’t typically have a defense mechanism for ourselves against ourselves but we do against external comments.
6. Surprisingly… watch more videos!
Watch YouTube videos on different skills. This last summer I learned how to fix the water fixture on my refrigerator that had been broken for 3 years. I fixed a dryer that made a loud squeaking. I learned how to install brick pavers and create visually pleasing rock landscapes. I learned how to build a fence, and I learned how to pour concrete properly while I was doing it.
All of these things saved me thousands of dollars and gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment that no EA game could give. And it turns out I like doing that kind of stuff. I find it fun. Now I enjoy helping friends do odd jobs they don’t know how to do and it’s improved my relationship with many of them.
5. STRETCH!
I work in the trades, never stretched always stiff.
A month ago I started stretching in the morning and before going to bed and it has made huge difference.
Just last week I was able to touch my toes with straight legs for the first in my life.
4. Exercise. Sleep. Repeat.
When sleep is concerned, hours aren’t everything. So, proper, good quality sleep pattern is a great improvement.
An exercise routine and as much movement as one can pack in a day, as in running or walking or cycling.
3. Me time.
Getting up earlier than needed before work, so one has about an hour of “Me” time to do whatever you wanna do before the rest of the world wakes up.
2. Ahhhhh…
Moisturize.
Your skin will love you and it’s an easy act of self care.
1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Respect everyone equally.
A janitor and a CEO of a company are both people and deserve equal treatment.
It gets you far.
That last one is absolutely, 100% true.
Remember, people rarely remember what you said to them, but they almost always remember how you made them feel.
The more respect you show for people, the more you’ll get back.
Good luck, fam!
