Whether we like it or not, days bleed into one another and weeks slip by quickly. I hate the feeling of looking back on a month and thinking, "Wait… Now what did I do again? Anything?" One way to ease your mind that your days have been well spent is to focus less on checking tasks off a list, and more on making each day valuable to you and to the world.
Do One Thing That Scares You
This one has become a cliche, but that doesn't make it irrelevant. (Please don't run into traffic just to get heart rate up, though.) Seek out fears that may be holding you back from trying new things. Talk to that cute girl on the bus. Negotiate a deal. Present an idea at work. Attempt a ridiculously complex meal. When you regularly do things that kind of freak you out, you stretch your boundaries and create a much bigger, more rewarding comfort zone to play in. "Safe" and "stuck" don't have to be synonymous.
Do One Thing That Soothes You
The world doesn't have to take care of you: you can take care of yourself. You need to take care of yourself. If you're angry, find a way to release it. If you're frustrated, do something nice for yourself. If you're tired and cranky, enjoy a treat instead of martyring yourself for no good reason. Take a moment, just once a day, to make yourself feel good, and remind yourself that you're responsible for your own happiness.
Do One Thing for Someone Else
Being selfless feels good-more than one study has demonstrated this. (Kind of throws a kink in the "selflessness" of the act, but we won't worry about that…) Taking time to do a kindness for another person reminds you of the reasons you have to be thankful, all while strengthening your relationships with others. If you give and truly expect nothing in return, it's rare to have any regrets about it.
Do One Thing for the Future
The future is a pretty fluid concept here: next week, next month, your 80th birthday… You can transfer funds to your savings accout, spend time talking with your child, do some yoga as part of a weight loss plan, anything that gets you one step closer to your goals for the future. Regardless of whether you're learning French for next year's trip or making a quilt to be passed down for generations, you need to stay connected with your future on a regular basis. That's where some of your best moments are yet to be realized.
不管我們喜歡與否,從一天到另一天,幾個(gè)星期一下子就過去了。我討厭這種感覺:當(dāng)我回顧這個(gè)月的時(shí)想到,"等等…我又干了什么?干了什么?"一種讓你心情平靜的方法是使你的時(shí)間被有效使用,較少的關(guān)注在檢查任務(wù)單上,更多的讓每一天對(duì)于你和世界而言變得更有價(jià)值上。
做一件讓你害怕的事
這已經(jīng)是陳詞濫調(diào)了,但是這并使它顯得不入流。(盡管如此,請(qǐng)不要緊緊為了加速心跳沖進(jìn)車流中。)找出會(huì)阻止你嘗試新東西的恐懼心理。與在車站的那個(gè)可愛女孩談話。做一筆生意。在工作上提出一個(gè)創(chuàng)意。嘗試一頓滑稽的大雜燴。當(dāng)你有規(guī)律的做些讓你極度興奮的事情,你拓展了你的界限并且創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)大得多的,更有價(jià)值的舒適的圈子。"安全"和"僵化"并不一定是同義詞。
做一件讓你感覺良好的事
這個(gè)世界并不一定要照顧你:你可以自己照顧自己。你必須自己照顧自己。如果你生氣了,找到途徑去釋放它。如果你感到煩惱,做些可以讓自己心情舒暢的事。如果你疲勞并且虛弱,與其毫無理由的折磨自己不如好好犒勞下自己。花些時(shí)間,只用一天一次,讓你自己感覺良好,并且提醒自己要為自己的快樂負(fù)責(zé)。
為別人做件事
無私的感覺是好的--不只一項(xiàng)研究表明如此。(有些人對(duì)無私的行動(dòng)有些奇怪的看法,但是我們不必為此擔(dān)心…)花些時(shí)間為別人做件好事提醒你懷著感恩的理由,同時(shí)增強(qiáng)了你與他人的聯(lián)系。如果你只是給予并且不指望回報(bào),很少會(huì)為這感到后悔的。
為未來做件事
未來在這里是個(gè)非常流動(dòng)性的概念:下個(gè)星期,下個(gè)月,你的八十歲生日…你可以往你的存折上轉(zhuǎn)賬,花時(shí)間與你的孩子談話,為減肥計(jì)劃而做瑜伽,做些任何能讓你更進(jìn)一步接近你的未來目標(biāo)的事情。不管是否是為了來年的旅行而學(xué)法語,或者為下一代做一床被子,你需要與你的未來在一個(gè)經(jīng)常的基礎(chǔ)上保持聯(lián)系。那是一些你將體會(huì)到的最好的時(shí)光開始的地方。