If you are constantly looking for ways to try and live a better life, the good news is that this is something you can always do. There are always improvements you can make, and most of the time the trick is to know simply which ones you are likely to need to focus on most of all. The new year is obviously always a good time to try and make these changes, and that is why so many people come up with resolutions for doing so. But whether you make them formal resolutions or not, here are some of the best changes anyone can decide to make in the coming year for a better life.
Play More
Most of us fail to spend enough time simply relaxing and playing. In fact, you can kind of think of playing and relaxing as two different things. Many people manage to do the latter, but not quite enough of the former. If you feel that you can hardly remember the last time you spent a good amount of time playing for the sake of it, then you might want to think about trying to do more of it in the next year.
In order to do that, you will need to think about what kind of playing you generally are likely to enjoy. Are you into video games, for instance? Maybe you are a bit of a board game nerd, or you love playing card games? Or maybe you just like sports. Whatever it is, spending more time playing is going to help you unwind and develop some hobbies – an important part of living a happier life.
Work With Purpose
There are few things that bring more deep satisfaction to life than finding and engaging in work that provides plenty of purpose. If you feel that your current job doesn’t really provide you with a great deal of purpose, then you might want to change that as soon as possible. It might just be that it’s not the kind of work you want to be doing in general, or it could be that you don’t think you are doing anything of value. Whatever the underlying reason, you should make a point of trying to overcome it as soon as possible by taking steps towards getting a better job.
How do you do that? In a sense, it’s simple: you need to follow your purpose. That means having at least some idea of what you want to be doing with your life, something that you feel will help people in some way or which is going to give you the chance to use your skills. You might not land on the perfect job right away, but in time you should be able to follow the path until you do find a job that suits you in this regard. You will find that much of your life is then much more enjoyable and that you are in a position of much greater respect for yourself.
Improve Your Intimate Relationships
Whether you have one major intimate relationship or you have several, improving them is going to help you to feel a lot happier in your life. There are always improvements that can be made in relationships, no matter how close to perfect they might at first seem. But if you think your relationship is in particular need of some improvement, then there are a few key things to focus on first and foremost.
One of the best ways to improve any intimate relationship is to simply show the other person more kindness and compassion. This is not always easy to do, but there are many ways in which you can make it happen for you. That could include finding some amazing gifts for her on a regular basis or simply working on the way in which you talk to the other person on a daily basis. Over time, you can improve things in a hugely valuable way by doing these things, and it’s definitely worth doing. You will find that the quality of the relationship improves, as does your enjoyment of life in general, so it’s absolutely worthwhile doing so.
Be More Compassionate
In fact, that notion of trying to be more compassionate is not only something you can think about when it comes to your other half. It’s really something you should be aiming to do with everyone in your life, as far as you possibly can. A lot of people struggle with compassion for the simple reason that it appears to cost you something each time. But once you start making a point of it, you soon come to realize that actually compassion gives you more and more the more that you spread it around.
So how do you make this a practice in your life? One of the first things to bear in mind is to try and spread compassion not just to people close to you, but to people you only have a passing acquaintance with. In fact, because your relationship with those people is generally not too complex emotionally, this is a good place to practice. So, as far as you can, start to show compassion and care in the way you interact with people at the grocery store or the bus driver. These small changes are a good introduction to being more compassionate, and over time it’s going to add up to make a profound difference to the way you live. It really will make you a happier and more well-rounded individual overall.
Make A Pact With The Truth
Many of us find ourselves lying from time to time. This can happen as a result of awkwardness, or because we find ourselves not quite knowing what else to say. It can even be a case of trying to make ourselves look bigger and feed the ego. And sometimes, it’s those white lies that we believe are saving someone’s feelings, but might well not be. In any case, lying too much is no good for the soul, and it’s a good idea to keep it to a minimum.
If you want to improve your relationships with other people and with yourself, you might want to consider making a pact to only tell the truth. There might be times when it is especially difficult to do this, but over time you will find that life actually gets easier and easier. In fact, the individual who never lies has nothing to hide, nothing to remember, and is generally going to have a much less cluttered mind, so you will find the benefits of this to be huge. Whether you have a particular problem with lying or not, this is worth thinking about trying to change in the new year.
Learn To Laugh
If there is one thing that is always going to make life easier, it’s the ability to laugh even during the darkest times. Humour is one of the most essential human traits for dealing with life’s ups and downs, and if you can bear that in mind you should find that you can make your life so much better in no time. As 2020 has taught us, you never know when things might turn on their heads, so it’s important to make sure you know how to deal with it emotionally when it does. That’s why learning to laugh a little more is likely to help you out in a big way throughout your life. Next year, make a point of it.