21 Tips for a better life

How many times have you caught yourself thinking there has to be more to life than this? Our lives just seem to be getting busier and busier as we try to cram more into our daily routines. We, as a nation, are working longer hours leaving little time for ourselves and our families. The SaVVy Club® can help by providing you with a pre-organised social calendar to die for but that only takes care of one aspect of your life.

So how can we address the balance? How can we start to try and live a ‘better’ life? I’m not suggesting that there is one magic formula that will work for everyone. We are all individuals and what rocks one person’s boat is probably likely to sink another’s, but there are things that we can all do to try and make our lives better, healthier and more enjoyable.

Here is a list of 21 things we could all do to create a better life. Why not give it a try – what have you got to lose?

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day

This should be an easy one. Get off the tube one stop earlier, park a bit further away from the office or walk to the sandwich shop at lunchtime rather than get it delivered. While you are walking, smile – it is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

Give yourself a bit of space. Take the phone off the hook and lock your door. The world won’t fall apart without you for 10 minutes. Just relax and give yourself a bit of time to unwind and refocus on what is really important in life.

3. “My purpose is to ____________ today”
Try saying this to yourself when you wake up in the morning. You’ll be amazed at the effect it has on your day.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants

A healthy diet is something that we could all do with. Eat more natural produce rather than food that is manufactured. After all a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

5. Drink

Now don’t get all excited. I’m not talking about propping up your local bar all day. Drink plenty of water or green tea. A well hydrated body is a happy body.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day

No need to don a silly costume or hit yourself with a plastic cup, smile at someone, make them feel good and they will smile back.

7. Don’t waste precious energy

Use your energy wisely. Don’t waste it gossiping (although a casual chat with colleagues can do wonders), dwelling on the past, negative thoughts or things you can’t control.

8. Eat well

That doesn’t mean take a three hour lunch break and return to the office legless. Start your day off well with a breakfast fit for a king. Eat lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out credit card.

9. Life is too short to waste time hating someone

I think this is self-explanatory. Hatred will consume you. Live and let live.

10. Don’t take yourself too seriously

You can be sure no one else will! We all make mistakes so when you make your next blooper (and you will) learn from it and move on, don’t beat yourself up over it.

11. You don’t have to win every argument

No one likes to lose but sometimes no one can win. We are all individuals with our own opinions. Don’t try and bully someone into converting to your views it will just create animosity. Agree to disagree.

12. Make peace with your past

Don’t let past events spoil the now. Draw a line under what has gone on before. You can’t change the past so don’t let it change your future.

13. Don’t compare your life to that of others

Be happy with what you have – you have created it. We all know the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side, but looks can be deceptive (how many clichés can I get into this one?). You have no idea what their life journey is about.

14. No one is in charge of your happiness except you

Only you can make the changes you need to create a happier and more fulfilling life. So what are you waiting for?

15. “In five years, will this matter?”
Ask yourself that whenever things go wrong. If the answer is ‘no’, don’t worry about it. If the answer is ‘yes’, do something about it.

16. What other people think of you is none of your business

This is probably one of the hardest to learn. But you can waste so much energy worrying about it and does it really matter in the great scheme of things? No.

17. However good or bad a situation is, it will change

Time marches on whether we like it or not. Take comfort that the bad times will pass and that the good times will stay with us in our hearts forever.

18. Your friends are key

You work all hours being the best you can possibly be at your job. But what happens when you are sick? Your job won’t be there to look after you, but your friends will. Keep in touch, don’t let work pressures push your friends away.

19. Envy is a waste of time

Why hanker after what you don’t have? If it was that vital that you had it, you would have.

20. “I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished__________”

No day is a wasted day. You may not feel as though you have achieved much but you would be surprised at what you have accomplished. You may not have closed an important deal but you may have made someone smile. Before you go to sleep at night say it out loud and sleep peacefully knowing you have made a difference.

21. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed

No more words are needed.

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The Work – Life balance: where is the divide, and should there be one?

The work-life balance has been the focus of a great deal of attention in recent years. As global skills and economies grow, many of us are finding that in order to be successful, we have to put increasingly long hours into our careers, often at the expense of our personal lives.And that is where the debate begins. How much is too much time spent on one’s career?

Is it quantifiable, and if so, how many hours per week does it boil down to? Is it different for men and women? Does, or should, the presence of a family make a difference? If one does choose to work less so as to spend more time with loved ones and oneself (the oft-forgotten person we should all spend time with), how much of our income is it fair to sacrifice? Which is more important – to send the kids to that really expensive school/buy that really wonderful home, or to have quality time with those around us?

These are not questions I can answer. I don’t believe anyone can – they are questions the answers to which are most likely different for everyone. It is worthwhile to think about them, though, and thinking about them seriously, so as to ensure that there are no regrets later in life.There is also another issue to deal with:actually separating work and private lives can be almost impossible. It’s not only that we may spend too much time at work.

It’s also that we are all, fundamentally, human beings, and as such we tend to bring our private lives with us to work.While this may not always be ideal – for example, going through a rough personal time may negatively affect our work – it is, for most of us, unavoidable. It’s something it behooves us all to remember, no matter where we may be on the corporate ladder.

Even modern management theory has abandoned the “Metropolis” idea of people as automatons, and reluctantly concluded that people are just that – people, complete with all the characteristics that can make them both brilliant and nightmarish.There is an alternative, though, and one is that not often discussed. Perhaps it is seen as being too romantic or idealistic.

In short, though, maybe it is not necessary to have such a balance – perhaps we can endeavour to find something that we love to do. If we can, then the distinction between “work life” and “private life” falls away, and everything we do simply becomes part of “life”. It’s another challenge in and of itself, of course, but the dividends will far outweigh the costs when the final books are balanced.

aimée whitcroft

The SaVVy Club’s members enjoy a unique calendar of bespoke social events organised just for them. They can enjoy the company of fascinating people and relax in the knowledge that everything is taken care of.

 

 

 

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