"Energy, mental clarity, and positive regard for others are the three most important benchmarks of well-being."
*-- Jeanne Segal Ph.D.

"When you wholeheartedly adopt a 'with all your heart' attitude and go all out with the positive principle, you can do incredible things." *-- Norman Vincent Peale

"As more people achieve some degree of mental calm, insight, or the ability to transform negative emotions into positive ones, there will be a natural reinforcement of basic human values and consequently a great chance for peace and happiness for all. "  *-- The Dalai Lama 

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I won't be long-winded about this, I am going to lay down 7 simple steps to help you improve your life. It will only be a few pages long and will be a quick read. Whether you implement the steps I give you is your decision alone, they are merely suggestions you might say.

#1 This tip will seem quite obvious and simple to you, but you'll be amazed how few actually take the effort to do it. Unless you're not a morning person this will improve the quality of your day drastically. Setting you in a good mood to face the days challenges and adversities.

Get Up Early!

This may sound more like a way to ruin your day by putting you in an awful mood, but bear with me on this.

To be able to accomplish this and still avoid losing any any precious sleep. You can go to bed just a half hour earlier since to start with you only need to get up a half hour earlier than you usually do. To aid this purpose you should definitely use an alarm clock with persistent beeping.

You may be wondering by now just what it is that you're supposed to do in this extra half hour when you would normally be dozing peacefully in bed.

For different people the answer can vary slightly. To start with you need to fully awaken yourself and get rid of early morning sluggishness. To suit this purpose you can take a cold or slightly cool shower. Or you might try doing stretches combined with deep breathing. Use whatever works for you. You might skip the shower if just splashing cold water on your face is sufficient to wake you.

After you're completely alert step outside of your house, apartment, etc... And if it's early enough and you have a clear view, watch the sunrise. This simple but immensely satisfying act will lift your spirits.

If you're unable to do this, take a brisk walk, jog or run depending upon what you prefer and what you're physically capable of. When you've been out for 20 minutes you can head inside and commence with whatever morning ritual you normally have.

#2 Now this is extremely important but deceitfully obvious. Eat Breakfast.

To start your day out on the right foot this is practically a necessity. You need the energy this will provide you with to accomplish your daily tasks. If you are overly pressed for time you might try cereal and milk or a few granola bars, even a few pieces of fresh fruit would do. Any of these are better alternatives than skipping breakfast. This is also a good suggestion for those watching their weight, because if you skip breakfast you're more likely to binge later in the day.

#3 When you go places, even if you find it a bit difficult at first, smile more at other people. Just curve your lips up a bit as you make eye contact with another human being. It's really that simple. This will not only lift your spirits as you see a good many people smile back, but it will lift other people's as well. Even some of the ones who are too shy to smile back.

#4 Don't procrastinate! The more you put something off and something else off, the more all your undesirable chores pile up until they're an insurmountable task that would make a paid cleaning crew shudder. In fact take these chores and work them into your schedule so you will do them.

#5 If you don't already keep either a schedule or make yourself a to-do list each night, this is your cue to start. A to-do list helps you with get things done because it gives you a urgency "must do this today" attitude. It will also help you remember things that you might have otherwise forgotten. You can put things on them that you're afraid of forgetting, or want to make sure you make time for.

#6 This is by far the most important tip I could give you. Forgive and Forget.

Either imagined or real slights should always be forgiven, and to forget them is to not dwell on them and not remember the angry feelings if you ever look back on that moment. Let me just tell you this: Holding a grudge will not hurt the begrudged as much as it will hurt you and your personality. As well as your existing relationships. If there are any ancient or recent rifts or fights between you and a relative, friend, or spouse that are hurting your relationship or have ended it entirely, make amends.

This life is the only one you get, we'll never know when it'll be our or the begrudged person's time to die, and by then it will be too late. So pick up the phone or walk up to that person and apologize, even if it wasn't your fault. This may be the last chance you'll get to make amends. You will be surprise at the feeling you'll get after fixing things up between you. As if a burden has been lifted off your shoulders. This is definitely a step to improve your life.

#7 Do something kind for someone else. Today!

Not just on a birthday or anniversary, but spontaneously. Buy a rose or other flower for a friend and tell them it's just 'because'. Because they mean a lot to you, and because you care for them. Tell your family and friends that you love them. Offer to help a friend with a chore. Help teach a young niece/nephew, son/daughter, brother/sister, etc.... how to read or do some other "grownup" thing. Babysit for someone you know so they can have a night out. The list of things you can do is endless, and I'm sure you can procure some ideas of your own on the subject. Now for your convenience I've summed all seven steps:

#1 Get up early and jog or watch sunrise

#2 Eat breakfast

#3 Smile at strangers when you make eye contact

#4 Don't procrastinate

#5 Keep a schedule or To-Do list

#6 Forgive others and Forgive past wrongs

#7 Do something for someone else

Remember it's all up to you whether you take these steps to improve your life, but improve it they will.

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