Let’s face it. Life is very complex, and so is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Between the money issues we come across, the health issues we develop regularly and all the intra-relations we must maintain, it is crucial to keep a sane mind and a healthy body. After all, a healthy mind equals to a healthy body, to some extend of course. Now, how do I do it? I’m sure you ask yourself who am I and am I just another one of those “follow my tips bla bla bla”? Well, for starters, I am NOT an influencer and I don’t dig myself into vain ambitions. I offer tips, motivation and I put in effort to broadcast these, without ever resorting to some image I’m trying to create or some interest I’m trying to gain. Simply, I am happy, and I look to help everybody without ever wanting recognition. My name and my image do not matter in this equation and this is why my tips are the most valuable. They come from my heart.

#1 Start your day off a positive vibe

There are certain things we can’t change. We can’t change feeling sick a certain morning or tuning out a cramp we have in the leg. However, there are plenty of things we can impact and even change. I wake up always 15 minutes earlier than I should, but I don’t get out of bed. I take this time to reflect on my dreams, previous day, that day’s perspective, things I’m grateful and mostly, I take my time. I take my time to remind myself I don’t need to rush things and that I have the luxury of time. With my kind of career, and my kind of lifestyle, I have plenty to rush, to attend and to worry about. For all these reasons, I start my day focused and slowly. I can’t dwell on the importance of this. This, to me, is the reason why my day starts off positive. It doesn’t start on a stressful note, it doesn’t start on worries and I take the time to process my previous day’s feelings. It works a 100% of the time for me, but it could be different for you. You might have different trigger points and a different lifestyle, but this doesn’t change the principal. The principal is you must find your calm zone first thing. Play with your cat, your dog, even do naughty things if you must. Life is too short to spend it speed skating day and night. What better time to unwind than in bed where you just relax? This is they way to a positive start.

#2 Eat your favorite food every day

You are going to say, “This is such a guy thing to say”, but it has nothing to do with gender. Food can make anyone feel very ashamed of themselves like it can make one very proud. Food is SO powerful, we literally need it to survive. I am a big believer that what you eat is what you are. And what better way to show off than eating your favorite food in the world, all the time. If your favorite food is making you feel like shit, then you must reassess what your favorite food is, but mine is very simple. I love bread, yogurt, kefir, eggs, meats of any kind, steamed vegetables, nuts of any kind, watermelon, strawberries and the list go on. Yes, I am a huge foody but every day, my day truly starts the moment I have that wow feeling when I eat one of the stated above. I feel good when I take that in. If I eat crap like the ones we find in Tim Hortons, or Starbucks, I feel yucky and sad I had to resort to that level. Food honestly make me a better person; therefore, I try to always have my favorite foods, and staying as healthy as I can. I don’t stress about what I eat. I just maintain a good spirit and do the best in my capacity. The rest would have happened regardless of what I ate. Eat away friends!

#3 Be the better person

You don’t know the amount of times I’ve heard people say, “I will never talk to X person until X person has apologized” and “I haven’t done anything wrong; I’m not going to do anything about it”. Truth is, these are the same people that end up having the least friends. Not having friends can be a terrible burden as one can become very lonely and this will impact everyday life. It’s terrible what people can do; however, we often forget that sometimes we ourselves do these same terrible things to others, however often we won’t even realize it unless someone makes us aware of it. It is amazingly hard to be perfect and to treat everybody perfectly. What makes a good friend worth keeping is the one that fights and always tries for the sake of friendships. It might not be fair, and it might not be worth it, however I believe in the best of everyone. Therefore, when I see things go south with somebody, I’ll make the extra effort and inspire change in people. If I can do it, and they see I value their friendship enough to try, they will feel the same. Sometimes, they feel things too, and we might not understand their perspective, however nothing comes out of nothing. It’s important for somebody to make the first step, and why not be you? I choose this path every time, because fundamentally, I ask myself if that person is worth it. Obviously, anybody that is part of my life is worth it, otherwise why be friends with them in the first place? Some might say this effort isn’t fair, but truth is, I’d rather be the better person, and if the other person refuses that hand, that is on them. Always be the better person, and life will reward you with kind people around you.

#4 Don’t judge other people

This is often forgotten, but rarely will we know the entire context of any situation. Unless you walked your entire life in their shoes, even the worst of people have justification they feel are right in their hearts. The morality of people is truly subjective to the perspective of time and lens of the people in question. I made it a habit in my life to always try to see things through a different perspective. I don’t know. I tell myself there might be a reason behind it all, and god knows I’ve acted on my impulses just because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If somebody has looked at me, would that moment define me and make me the worst person ever? Maybe, however I know better and that is what matters. So even in the worst of situation, chances are, there is a reason, maybe flawed but there regardless. I give the benefit of the doubt to everyone and if that person needs to see a better situation, it will start with me. Sometimes, even the worst of the people need love too, and if everybody has done their part, maybe those people wouldn’t be in that situation in the first place. Always try to understand people, even in the worst situation, and hopefully, one act of kindness will produce another in return. Not judging people might be just that.

#5 Focus on short-term goals

If you focus on long term goals, you will be quickly disappointed. Very rarely do things go according to plan, and not necessarily in a bad way. What I mean by this is that it is very hard to anything but your own self. Long term planning requires you to control the things that are simply out of your control. To fix this, have a long-term vision while concentrating on short-term goals. This will build a happy momentum in your life of micro-achievements. Nothing feels better than succeeding something, and this is true for small things just as much for bigger things. However, it is a lot more realistic to achieve these smaller goals. I wake up every day and I focus first things on some goals I would like to achieve for the week. This to me feels easy to plan, easy to follow through. I don’t want some cute fantasy that is going to last for a year, and maybe happen. I can’t even guarantee I’ll be alive in a month, let alone plan something for a full year. Just focus on small steps. They will eventually bring you to the heights you desire to be. Patience is key.

#6 Be patient

Yes, you have guessed it. Be patient. This is perhaps my biggest flaw, nevertheless one I concentrate on the most in my life. I am born hyperactive and full of energy. For me, being patient is what I need, not what I want. Whenever I feel stressed, I try to remind myself I need to slow down and be patient. One day, you find yourself, after a lot of time, exactly where you wanted to be, but only because you took your time and waiting your turn. You simply can’t skip on some steps, and while you can skip some, not everything will be that easy. Patience is key to true happiness in life, and the faster you understand this concept, the better your life is.

#7 Enjoy the small things in life

Ah the small things in life. Take a big breath and just close your eyes. Do you feel that calmness that follows that moment? Now apply this to everything else in life. Sometimes, you just need to focus on the small things in life. There isn’t a time when shit is not hitting the fan, but life must go on, and we must return to simple smaller things. This will make your life a lot simpler, and the moment you cut those expectations out of your mind, you will breath better. Screw the fame, the money and the chase, just be happy you get to live the life you have been given. When I close my eyes, I see life the way it should be. I see my worries disappear in the dark vision I have, and none of it matter when you truly think about it. Enjoy waking up, enjoy the sun, enjoy the people, and mostly, enjoy the opportunities. Just be happy, it’s that small.

#8 Be proud of where you are

It took you a long time to get where you are. It might seem very small in terms of grand vision of your life, but you must remember that the first steps are always the hardest ones. If I look at my life in terms where I’d like to be one day, today might seem like a huge failure, however I worked so hard to be here today and even though I have a long way to go, I had a long ride so far. I’m still young, and regardless of your age, every effort and feat should be celebrated and remembered as a proud moment. It’s easy to downsize these accomplishments because we tend to compare them to something that isn’t there yet, but that is exactly the point. One must look backwards as well before looking forward. Being proud of what you’ve accomplished so far is just one of those ways of giving yourself credit for all the good stuff you have done to be where you are today. And if your grand vision is still yet to come, well you can always thank your accomplishment of today for permitting that vision in the first place. Chances are, you are validating your path to absolute accomplishment one feat at a time.

#9 Record your life

Take notes, take notes and take notes! It doesn’t matter how you record your moments. It could be by pen, as it could be with a recorder or by video, but it is crucial you keep a track on what is happening in your life. Why? Because sometimes we must understand how we felt to understand what has happened. My journey has allowed me to look back into how I felt at times, and to understand myself better when needed. I have been through hell and back and if I think about these moments, I have a time lens perspective on these moments where how I feel today represents how I think I felt back then, however transcripts at times show an entirely different picture. It is only then that I realize from how far I came on my journey. I keep a track of any major event in my life, and I note down how I feel, what is happening, what are my ambitions, etc. This provides me context of situations and in beautiful situations where I read back into my thoughts, it makes me happy to see I evolved so much as a person. It truly makes me happy I kept tab on my life, for myself. No matter what happens to me, no matter where I am, part of me cannot be erased and I feel safe. I can always resort back to my feelings and my ambitions to re-learn who I am, and what was once important to me. Afterall, it is so easy to get lost in this world, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many therapy counselling services offered in the world. Our biggest enemies are our minds, because we have more than just instincts to live for. We have intelligence and with intelligence comes a lot of feeling. You will never regret writing down about your life and it will make you a happier person.

#10 Value life

This one might seem like an obvious one to most but knowing your place in the world is often forgotten.  Life is very complex and for one to understand everything that goes in it, hardly possible. I can’t say life is going to wonderful all the time, however when you think about it, there is one thing that could always be worst: no life. I see my life as an opportunity that was given to me, a gift if I could say. I have all the control to do whatever I want with whatever I have, and yet, some people just can’t seem to understand how blessed they are. Life is everything, and if I understand anything of it, it is that I am so grateful that I got this amazing gift. I could have been born in a terrible world, at a terrible time, but then again, perspective is everything. Just being is enough for me. I value my life because I have freedom to live, to be whoever I desire to be, and mostly to live the life I love. If you take away to 0 out of #10, you are left with really what it is, the most important fact. Don’t ever forget how lucky you are, and if you feel like you are not, go change your luck. We can’t all be tall, nor pretty, nor rich, but there are infinite number of things we can choose to do. Be that great person that values what you have. I wake up every morning and close my eyes right after waking up, and I remind myself how lucky I am to be alive another day in this life. I can say it in a thousand ways, but it always comes down to this. Be the reality you wish to see, live the life you would love to live, and break anything that comes in the way of your happiness. Be you. Be happy.