Everybody wants to be a better person, to be more successful, to make our loved ones happy, to be able to motivate ourselves to do a better job, the list is endless.  We need to take our past experiences in life and learn the lesson to be able to move forward.

We are all human… we have weaknesses and we make mistakes.  The trick is learning from this to find the better version of yourself within.

Life is the journey and becoming better every day is the goal.

• Be Yourself – It is important that we don’t lose touch with our values, morals and beliefs.  Own your identity and feel comfortable within your own skin.  Focus on your direction and purpose in life.
• Appreciate the Present – Learn from the past and let it go.  Appreciate and live in the present because the future is not here yet.  The present moment IS life and it is NOT an obstacle in our path.
• Communicate – A wise person is full of questions and a dull person thinks they know all the answers.  Also be a good listener to connect with others.  Everyone needs to have a voice and it is second nature to want to be understood.
• Be Polite – Use “please” and “thank you” it takes no extra effort.  An act of kindness can make someone else’s day.  Other people’s behaviour does not have to determine yours.
• Smile – It is contagious and can lift not only your own spirits but will be passed on to the next person, and so on.  Smiling will improve our mood, give us health benefits and make us feel good.
• Compliment Yourself – Every day give yourself a compliment which will give you an emotional boost and make you feel happy.  Compliment yourself about your hair, about a task that you just completed, about a new skill that you tried, anything at all.
• Let Go of Anger – Anger is a normal emotion but don’t let it build up and effect your health.  We can learn how to manage anger through our own thoughts, a journal or relaxation.  Anger will make us make bad decisions.
• Show Forgiveness – Not only to yourself but to others.  Let go of resentment, it serves no purpose in life.  The act of forgiving others is not to “let them off the hook”, it is to give release yourself, let it go and not control you anymore.
• Stop Making Excuses – Don’t blame others or make excuses if you do not feel happy within.  We own up and learn from our mistakes to move forward.
• Be Honest – Speak honestly and in an open manner to secure trust.  Honesty secures the haven for trust.
• Have a Go – It is better to create something that someone criticises, than to create nothing at all and criticise others.
• Be Helpful – This is one of the easiest ways to effectively be a better person.  Help our partner, help a stranger, assist a charity.  It is a win-win situation and everyone feels better.
• Be Flexible – Be open to change, try new activities, step outside our comfort zone and challenge our self-confidence.  We must be able to change our mind if the information presented contradicts our beliefs.  Don’t be stubborn.
• Be Optimistic – Think positive thoughts and approach life with the “glass half-full” attitude.  To shift our perspective… will allow better experiences and better outcomes in our lives.
• Find Inner Peace – The moment we stop allowing others to control our emotions, will be the moment we find inner peace.  To create peace in the world, we must first create peace within ourselves.

We all have the capacity to be a better person and make a difference in our own life, our families experiences and the wider community.  And the only person that you want to try to be better than… is the person you were yesterday.

Take care, Karen.

“What we think, we become.”

~ Buddha