Simple Stuff that Improved my Life

I have faced this fact long ago and my friends remind me all the time, that I am a “wise-ass know-it-all”. One of my many bad habits is giving folks way too much unsolicited advice. It’s hard to stop. When I see someone going through something I’ve already been through, I just want to help. I am slowly learning in my old age that it just never works. I can’t change anybody. They can only change themselves. I am getting better at it and that is one purpose of this blog. So, continue reading only if you think you’re ready to move ahead.

Morning routine

A standard morning routine, of various forms, is used by a great many successful people.  I have read lots of biographies and implementing a morning routine is fairly consistent.  While most prevalent in early birds like me, the night owls have their versions that work well for them.  For the busy mom or professional going to work at a set time each day or when the rest of the family gets up, this morning routine is the one time they have for themselves.  This is time to work on yourself in whatever way you feel.  Here’s a summary of my morning routine to get you thinking:

Stretching – It’s the first thing I do after getting out of bed.  Well, not quite – usually need to pee first 😉  I started doing light stretching and some yoga before I learned this is a routine with most athletes and folks looking to stay fit or just to get moving in the morning.  I knew I needed to do something when going down the stairs in the morning started to get harder.  I was making “old man noises” and I was only 58.  A little leg stretching first thing did the trick and that soon evolved into a short routine focusing on legs, hips, and back.  Now be warned you are not going to feel like doing this upon waking because your body and mind are still in “sleep mode”.  That lizard brain is saying, “Can’t we just start this morning a little slower?”  But let that lately evolved frontal lobe take command and put the body in “wake mode”.  You will have to trust me on this but you’ll see for yourself, a little exercise that time of day is the equivalent of a cup of coffee.  Try it, you’ll see.  Five minutes is enough, but ten is better.

Meditation – After stretching I dress and head downstairs, feed the cat, then sit and meditate for about 10 minutes.  Learning to focus your attention on what’s happening without judgment improves all aspects of life. Great way to start the day.

Breakfast – I put high grade protein and “slow” carbs in by belly within minutes of getting out of bed each morning.  Learned this from reading about some great athletes.  Doing so levels out your blood sugar for the rest of the day, eliminating cravings and bingeing.  Three egg omelet with Spinach, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, and pea sprouts is my main breakfast.  By “slow” carbs I mean carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index scale.  Fast carbs should always be avoided unless you’re about to run a marathon or something.

A good source of a variety of successful folks’ morning routines can be found in Tim Ferriss’s book Tools for Titans.

Meditation

I learned Transcendental Meditation in 1973.  While it took years to really start understanding what meditation does, I did see the benefits and kept it up, off and on, through the years.  Within the last few years, with the help of some great books and podcasts, I have a much better understanding of how it works.  I am not going to explain the practice here as professionals like Sam Harris and Jack Kornfield do a way better job, but will share the benefits I have seen.  By learning to recognize your own thoughts as just stuff your brain throws out in response to stimuli, you will learn to control your thinking and behavior.  This results in major improvements in dealing with people, being more grateful for what you have and less cravings for what you don’t have, anger management, better learning skills, and better conversations. It’s also just plain easy and feels good.

Reading

Bottom line, reading will keep your brain alive better than anything else I know.  Many studies using MRI’s and such have shown that reading lights up more areas of the brain than most other things.  I know it works for me and keeps me curious.  When I meet someone new and we talk long enough, I will usually ask them what books they’ve read lately.  I am tired of getting the answer, “I am just not a reader” like it’s some genetic trait.  Reading is a habit you must develop and anyone can do it.  If you want to know what is really going on in the world, it’s all in books.  Not the news, documentaries, podcasts, or (chuckle) social media.  Get a good book and read a little every day, even for 10 minutes.  According to Tony Robbins only 10% of the world reads whole books and only 10% of them read non-fiction. Folks that read books are in the top 10% of the educated people in the world. Think about that.

Better nutrition

There’s so much great information on this out there, I’m not even going to try.  Just get off the processed crap and eat great food.

Running

Running, mountain or road biking, or any other aerobic exercise a few times a week.  The benefits to the cardiovascular system are well known, but one of the overlooked benefits is the increased blood flow to the brain.  Ever see an old guy that looks like he doesn’t even know where he is?  Yeah, that’s you in a few years if you let the slower metabolism have its way. Get some “extra” blood up to that brain every week.

Strength training

Pays back great dividends in slowing muscle lose and increasing metabolism. The older you are the more important this is. Get a weekly routine. If, like me, you don’t like gym memberships, it takes very little equipment to have a great routine at home. Along with lifting heavy stuff, incorporate flexibility and balance exercises. Yoga is great for this.

Treating personal finance like a business

Struggling through life, pay check to pay check, is not a good plan. It does not have to be that way. Learning to manage your personal finances more like a business is a much better way. Our economy is designed to promote commercialism and this is the trap. Improving personal finances is as simple as controlling expenses and saving for the future. The main hurtle to this is the change in mindset that is required. For example, what are you thinking about the day before payday – “I’ll have the money to go out to eat”, “I can buy that new dress or sports coat I’ve wanted”, or “This paycheck will give me enough down payment for a new car loan”. Or are your thoughts more like – “I get to pay down that credit card a little more”, “I’ll have a little bit to add to retirement savings”, or “I’ll have a little bit to add to saving for a down payment on an investment property or business startup”. A change in your mindset is the way out of the commercialism trap.

Ditch the “paycheck to paycheck” mentality and start thinking in terms of assets and liabilities.  In any economy cash is king so even a little savings can pay off big in the near future.  Ben Franklin said mankind’s best invention was compound interest.  Use your savings to buy investment real estate, start a small business, or open a brokerage account.  There are just too many books out there on the subject for me to go any further with this.  But, if everyone took advantage of this bit of knowledge, a whole lot of society’s problems would just go away. Some books that have helped me are here.

Learning

Stop learning and your brain starts dying.  ‘Nough said!

Science

Science is the systematic study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of hypotheses to discover and explain how things work.  Even if you’re not interested in how the world works, I think it’s a good idea to know how others figure it out.  Here’s some of my favorite subjects:

Biology – I like learning how animals and plants work.  I do not have any background knowledge for a good learning base, but fortunately there are many books and documentaries on a layman’s level.

Marine biology – I love scuba diving.  While you will have to sit in the woods for a while until a couple birds or squirrels come out, life is all around you as soon as you enter the ocean.  I love watching fish behavior and looking for the crabs and other little critters.

Birds – I’ve loved hiking in the woods all my life, but I never really saw the woods until I started bird watching.  Now it’s like a city with all the creatures going about their lives.  Bird watching is something you can do everywhere you go.  Nature is everywhere, even in the cities.

A really good source of current science news is Science Friday broadcast on NPR and a podcast. My favorite books are here.

Projects

Always have some projects going on.  Life isn’t much more than a continuous stream of problems.  Throwing a few self-improvement, property improvement, business building, explorations, or craft projects in the mix will make you feel like you’re accomplishing something.

Philosophy

What is life?  What is God?  Some folks are happy to accept what others tell them it’s all about, but I never was.  With all the scientific advancement we have today still no one knows what consciousness is.  Thinking about these things helps me figure out the best way to live an honorable peaceful life. I have taken some pretty heavy philosophy courses and studied all the major concepts. I think some of these old guys simply thought way too deep about this stuff. I think the basic premise behind most of it is much simpler. Here’s a couple simple easy reads:

Everybody washes their hands when they come in the house after being out in public.

When my wife (now ex) first started teaching at culinary school, we both starting catching everything. She, being in a closed room with all those snotty-nosed kids all day, was bringing home all varieties of the common cold and flu. She came up with the idea, so we made it a rule. When you first come home from being out in public, the first thing you do is wash your hands. This simple act had dramatic results and I still practice it today. Believe me, it works!

The wise-ass know-it-all strikes again!

If you actually read this whole post you will understand why I am not too popular a parties. You’re probably thinking, “This guy really had some low self-worth issues growing up.” and you’d be right. But my childhood issues set me on a life time quest for self improvement that has really paid off for me. I started life with very low expectations, but have exceeded them four-fold. So, if you’re at a party talking shit and some guy starts preaching to you how to fix your life, you deserve it! Go ahead and walk away, but I’ve still got this blog!

Wishing Y’all All the Best,