Unsolicited Advice from a Stranger (5 Weird Tips to Improve Your Life)

I may not know you, but I love you. That shouldn't be hard to believe. You're awesome! :) And since I love you so much, I want to give you a couple pieces of advice to make your life better.

So here are 5 tips to make your life better from which you can pick and choose, as you like:

1. Watch a sunset or a sunrise in the next 24 hours.

The colors will blow your head off. Seriously, I think the border between day and night is possibly the most magical times of the day. Magic happens. Everyday.

One of the reasons I recommend this is because of mindfulness. Ever heard of it? This meditation technique is everywhere nowadays. It means to be fully present and conscious in this now moment. Not wrapped up in worry, not ruminating over the argument you had with your best friend, not on autopilot. Just here and now. Noticing, without judging anything as good or bad. But to learn this valuable tool of mindfulness can be a bitch, especially when you are trying to be mindful in all the same places and situations in which you are totally used to being completely un-mindful.

So watch a sunrise.

I think it´s pretty easy for any human (especially if they propose the decision to themselves) to be mindful and completely in the moment when watching a sun rise or sunset. The beauty and grandeur of it just gets you. Its natural. If you can take just a little bit of time out to appreciate any part of nature you find beautiful, your mind will thank you for it. Not to mention, you set yourself up for a very good day ;)

2. Beliefs are an intangible programmable system. Learn to program it.

You might have grown up thinking that "your beliefs" just means your religion and maybe your political opinions, but beliefs are actually much more than that. Your beliefs make up the whole framework of your life. They tell you what you think is possible and what isn’t. They can either help you or hurt you. A belief that “you aren’t good enough” could be held just as much by a talented person as by an untalented person, but ultimately it will always hold the person back from achieving as much as they are capable of. A belief that “making money is hard” could keep you from ever entertaining and moving forward with a brilliant idea for a new invention and a belief that “all men/women are the same” could be holding you back from actually finding a positive relationship.

So what are they then? Beliefs are plainly and simply thoughts that you think so often that they become automatic. You see, our brain is actually a muscle. In the same way that practicing a jump shot or your golf swing over and over again creates muscle memory, your brain strengthens the neuronal connections related to a thought every time you think it. And when our thoughts become automatic we rarely stop to challenge them or analyze them in order to decide if the thought is helpful or harmful. Do you have beliefs that are holding you back from achieving your goals, or maybe from just being happy?

Well, lucky for you there are tons of tools out there that can help you reprogram yourself to get the most out of your brain. Take a trip to google land and find out for yourself. Research things like neuroplasticity, shadow work (journaling technique), affirmations, cognitive behavioral therapy, or simply “how to change a belief”.

3. Eat your favorite food within the next few hours.

You deserve it. Indulge. Love yourself. Go out of your way for yourself. Gifting yourself things is part of healthy self-care. Your happiness and mood is important. When we are happy we make better choices and learn more easily. When we decide to be happy more often, we treat other people better and don’t take things so personally.

Your favorite food might be capable of triggering good memories from the past and brightening your day. Or it could be that you love that food because it’s a great source of a nutrient that your body has a special need for. If it’s not something healthy, this might sound like a bad idea, but more often than not we eat unhealthy food because it’s cheap, fast and easy, while our genuine favorites fall by the wayside because we don’t prioritize ourselves.

So what is it that you really love but rarely get because you view it as not being that important?

It is. #treatyoself

4. Get comfortable with death.

If you are alive, chances are you know someone who's dead. If not personally, don't worry about it, it WILL happen. Everybody dies. And you my friend will too someday. So get comfortable with it. Talk about it, research it, think on it, meditate upon it. Accept your inevitable death and your undeniable eternity. You are a part of history. You are a part of the universe. That which exists can only change, it can never unexist.

"Dying" painting by Alex Grey

So ask yourself, does the way I think about death make me feel good or, at the very least, not feel bad? Why should something natural and inevitable be a source of pain in your life? If you take it far enough it could even be a great motivator and consolation. Whether you believe that when we die we all go on to live other lives and new adventures or that our cells and molecules simply become a source of nutrient for other creatures in the circle of life, let yourself think about it and reach a balanced personal conclusion. Don’t put it off till later, when you might find yourself in a super emotional time or, god forbid, a real emergency.

If you believe we only live once, then use that as motivation to make this one life you get the best possible life it could be. If you believe in reincarnation, use death as a way to see yourself in every other person you come in contact with and feel that invisible connection. If you believe people go to heaven, then make it a habit to call on the strength and guidance of your deceased loved ones. Whatever your belief may be, make it helpful to you right now.

5. Believe that you can do anything.

Here we go with belief again. It might sound cliché but it’s not. Just bear with me.

In most areas of your life, the biggest thing holding you back isn’t money or good looks or smarts. It´s not how physically strong you are or which people you know. It’s whether or not you think it’s possible. Period. If you don’t think it’s possible, there is no way you’re even going to waste your time trying. Even things you do try at, like losing weight or getting a girlfriend, can turn out to be a futile experiments in self-punishment if you try all the techniques out there on the internet but still deep down don’t really think you can acheive it.

But instead of addressing every life situation one by one, which will literally take you a life time, decide to adopt this one very powerful belief: “I am capable of doing anything. With the right information, training, practice, and time, ANYTHING is possible for me, as it is for anyone else who holds this belief. I can do anything.”

That doesn’t mean you WILL do anything, or that you will do EVERYTHING. But once you realize that we as malleable human creatures can learn from each other and transcend any number of life situations, the questions simply becomes a matter of decision and focus. If you can do anything, what do you WANT to do? How much time will you give yourself to do it? And where can you find the right information to show you how?

I hope you found these tips helpful and you ease into them in a way that makes your life better. Remember that you are an important member of society and how you feel matters.

Thanks for sharing your time with me and…

Till next time,

LL