7 Tips for a better life

Take time each day to do something you love. I love art and painted this! 

1. Create a beautiful, supportive, day to day living environment. Even on a very tight budget you can do this by keeping your home sparkling clean, and making those living in your house feel warm, loved and listened to. A few very simple and often inexpensive touches, like having a some candles or a pretty table lamp and a warm blanket can add a feeling of warmth and comfort to your environment.  This is more important than having lovely things. Having lovely things is simply a bonus. It is the warmth and supportiveness of the home environment that is important here. Taking time each day to listen to the people you live with, and to truly understand what matters to them can make all the difference. If you do this you are effectively creating a warm supportive living environment where your home becomes a sanctuary away from the stresses and strains of daily life.

2. Give yourself permission to do those things you'd like to do but are too scared to do. We all have things that we feel too scared to do, whether it is apply for a promotion or pay rise, take up a new hobby or sport, speak at a conference, tackle the noisy neighbours about their constant late night partying, write a book, or throw a party for people we don't know very well.

 Firstly work out what you're scared of? If you're applying for a promotion you might be scared that you are told that you're not qualified enough for it, or it might be given to your colleague instead, and suddenly you're having doubts about whether or not you're good enough to apply for it.

Write down your fears, and then write next to it all the possible outcomes and what action you would take for each outcome. Say for instance you get told you can't have the promotion because you need more training or experience before you can move to the next level. In this instance you could discuss with your senior management what skills, training or knowledge you need to gain before reapplying and then you could go and get the skills knowledge or training that you need. So you're still moving forward. If the promotion goes to your particularly annoying colleague it's not the end of the world you have two choices here you could either find a way to work amicably with her, or find a different job elsewhere, maybe move departments.

 If you write yourself a list of possibly alternative courses of action you will be able to see that it is not so scary after all. Once you've worked out all the possible outcomes and your plan of action for each, you might feel confident enough to give it a go.

3. Get a team of people to help you. You don't need to be good at everything. It is ok to have things that you're good at and other things that you're not so good at. If you're good at something spend time concentrating on that particular thing and outsource other things you find more difficult to someone who enjoys doing that particular thing. Spend the majority of your time doing things you love.

4. Only respond to questions that are relevant, and to the phone when it's a call that you want to take.
We spend far too much time answering irrelevant questions, and answering telephone calls that aren't important. Learn to screen out of your life things that aren't important. Concentrate on the phone calls you want to make and the questions you want to answer. If you really don't want to answer the question, ask the person another question, as a distraction tactic. Same goes for meetings that basically involve lots of hot air being produced and no action. Only do the things in life that make a difference.

5. Take time for yourself and make sure you put your own health and happiness first. How selfish! I hear you cry. No absolutely not, if you prioritize your own needs you will feel happier and healthier in the long run. Make sure that you always make a space in your day to do something you love. It doesn't matter too much what this is. It could be talking to a friend, drinking a latte, writing something, going for a swim, taking a long hot bubble bath, reading a book, paper or magazine, playing on the internet, drawing something, doing sport, yoga, or simply doing nothing. Yes NOTHING. Why we've been programmed to constantly fill our days with stuff is beyond me. It is ok to sit and simply do nothing for a short time each day. Simply be. If you keep your own happiness levels up, the whole family will be happier. It is also good for families to see that you too have needs. It can give them a real buzz knowing that they've helped you or that you are following your hobbies and dreams. See having a hair cut, a manicure, or a massage as an essential maintenance treat rather than an indulgence. You are important too.

6. Do your pleasures first. Sometimes we get so bogged down in going to work, looking after the kids and cleaning, shopping and cooking that we can't find time to do things we love. There is a simple answer to this which involves doing the fun things first each day. If you get the things you like to do in early enough it gives you enough of a boost to sail through the other things you need to do that day.

Try to spend some time each day out of doors.

7. Spend some time each day outdoors. Spending time outdoors be it walking the dog, taking the children to the park, going for a jog, weeding the garden, or simply enjoying your morning coffee sitting on the patio, is essential as it boosts the spirits and if you're doing something like walking jogging or gardening also counts towards your exercise requirements. Time outdoors is far more uplifting than sweating away in a gym.