 Seven simple habits you should do every day. How on earth have we survived living the way we do? Simple answer, habits. We need them or else we wouldn't be here for long. We develop these deep-seated automatic behaviors and shape them in accordance with what worked for our lives to survive. But these habits can either propel us ahead or stifle our growth in life. So let's get you set up with some good everyday habits. Number one, create a start-of-day routine. How you start your day matters, regardless of whether you're a morning person or a night owl. It's the opening act, the movie trailer, the first chance you get to set your day up for awesomeness. Doing something that makes you feel energized will be that springboard that will help launch you into a satisfying day. Being organized, like say prepping the night before, is also a good form of self-care. Because you're not starting your day running around wondering where are my keys, what did I need to take with me today? Oh no, did I wash that shirt I wanted to wear? Number two, stay hydrated. Yes, we know you've heard it before, but surprisingly this is one of those I keep hearing this from everyone things that actually makes a difference. We humans depend on water to make everything work. All your body and brains, communication and nutrient transport depends heavily on hydration. We're like Venice on the inside. Of course how much is needed really does depend on various things like level of activity or what the environment is like in your area. But safe to say you have to try really hard to over intake on water. Still not sold? Try drinking between two to three liters of water per day for just one week and note how you feel. And it's good. Number three, get up earlier. If you're a morning person, or at least I tend to get better stuff done in the morning person, push it just a little bit extra and try consistently getting up early. Even an extra 10 to 15 minutes can nudge your schedule in just the right direction that you'll be surprised at how much more you can accomplish. Of course to be healthy and sustainable this does mean getting good sleep the night before. This also means practicing good sleep hygiene like no caffeine within a few hours of sleep time and other sleep prep like nixing the electronics at least an hour before lights out. Number four, set daily goals. So you started off strong and now you want to keep stepping so you can get to the big prize at the end. Like a primate swinging from a vine after that first big swing. Well, where to now? You see the golden banana tree way off in the distance but focusing on just the big thing can easily make you feel nebulous and lost in between leading to being overwhelmed. So give yourself handholds like small to-do lists so that you can visualize the next step and not lose your momentum. You then know you're getting even closer to that big shiny banana tree. Number five, learn to manage your money. This isn't going to become a financial lecture, don't worry. This is just a basic pay attention to what you're doing tactic. We tend to spend money these days in non-physical forms, just digital bits and bites. This makes it all too easy to just not look at our balance and think, oh, what's a few dollars here and there? That stuff adds up. You can even try a little experiment for yourself. For one week, go through everything you spent, other than bills or rent, and add it up. Surprised. Yeah, we were too. So a general method that can be used is the 50-20-30 rule. And that's not a football play. It's talking about how to divvy up your income, so 50% to needs, 20% to savings, and 30 to wants. That covers your butt in all aspects and still allows for a little wiggle room if need be. Number six, have a positive outlook. No, don't go into toxic positivity mode. Too much cotton candy will make you sick. But when we ruminate over unpleasant things and expect nothing but bad things, it tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As we start to unconsciously adopt habits that force those bad things to come true, having a positive outlook doesn't mean ignoring what could go wrong. It's a building of confidence that you have the tools and resources to make it go right. But you're a smart cookie and can still adapt if things don't go exactly as planned. Also, thinking positively will eventually make you unconsciously adopt habits that will force things in a better direction. And number seven, schedule some time for yourself. Maybe you grew up in an environment where you were scolded for being lazy because you took time to yourself to do something for yourself. Fortunately, the news is out that this is not being lazy. Having some downtime or me time is actually healthy and necessary in the long run. Carving out a small portion of your day, every day, to something that's just for you, not for the company, not for the family, not for others, just you helps you refocus and keep a solid relationship with your identity. Bad habits can be broken and good ones can be formed. And to get yourself going, it's enough to start asking yourself simply, why am I doing this? Be patient with yourself and eventually you'll notice life is on the upswing. Which habits do you do now? Are you trying but having trouble with any of these? Please feel free to discuss and comment. Us to have it and we'll see you soon.