High Fives - Episode #1
Five short but actionable ideas to support my journey to becoming a better person. You may also find them useful.
There are no shortcuts to anything worthwhile. But with consistent and deliberate effort, we can become better quicker (for sure, bettering oneself is a process that never ends - we can always be better).
Something that I’m being deliberate about is identifying and focusing on a few things that I’ll like to improve on during the week. These things - ideas - come from various places including my personal reflections, quiet times, books from my favourite authors, random thoughts during shower, conversations with people, serendipitous thoughts that hit me when taking a walk, social media posts that I chanced upon, etc. They also tend to cover the various aspects on one’s life - physical, psychological, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and financial. Sometimes these ideas are so specific that I try to implement them right way. Other times they are more like fodder that my mind chews on during the day.
In all honesty, I don’t always succeed in following through on these ideas each week. But I try, and that’s the most important thing - that sincere and deliberate effort to follow through on them. I’ve found that the more I try, the more I want to try and the more I feel myself changing in all the right ways.
I’ve decided to share these ideas every week. I figured that if they are helpful to me, perhaps someone out there may also find them useful. Go on, give them a try. Who knows, they may also help you become a much better person. And in the spirit of sharing, if you think your family, friends, colleagues and others in your social and professional circle might find them useful, why not send them a link?
Idea 1: Two kind notes a day
Every day this week, make out time to send a kind note to two people in your life. They could be a colleague, sibling, parent, partner, friend or acquaintance. Nothing lengthy, just something to let them know you’re thinking about them. It could be a compliment, a word of encouragement or anything you think will make them smile. We all need to be kind to ourselves and one another. If it helps, set an alarm so you will remember to send out the notes everyday.
Idea 2: Two minutes of gratitude
At the end of each day, reflectively count your blessings. At a fixed time and in a quiet place, spend two minutes being grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened in your life. Be genuinely thankful for your life, your family, your work, your good health, the opportunities that have come your way, and everything else. And if it helps, set an alarm so you don’t miss this daily opportunity to be mindful and grateful.
Idea 3: When pain comes knocking
I believe we should make our lives as comfortable as we can. As a matter of fact, we have to. But pain is inevitable. Part of being human is understanding that at some points in our life we will experience pain, big and small. How we deal with those moments is everything. Pain has the power to change us in very significant ways. And therefore, how we respond to pain to a large extent determines how and in what direction we change.
Idea 4: My first two baby steps
What’s that passion of yours you’ve been meaning to work on for some time? That number 1 item on your New Year resolutions list…yes that one. This is a good time to take those first two baby steps – simple, small-sized tasks related to your passion that you can complete in a couple of days. Whether it’s registering that domain name, signing up for an e-commerce account, writing that first blog post, making that TikTok or Instagram video, having that discussion with a potential business partner or choosing a name for your newsletter – commit to taking those first two baby steps this week.
Idea 5: The sleep challenge
I’m going to try sleeping for 8.5 hours every day of this week. I invite you to join me on this challenge. You already know that getting a good night’s rest is important for your health, and key to concentration and productivity. So, get in on this challenge let’s do it together.
There you go! Five ideas that you can try to focus on this week as you journey towards becoming a better person. If you found this useful, consider subscribing to the newsletter. This way, you get High Fives delivered straight to your inbox every week.
One last thing - here’s a quote that has helped me. Take a moment and reflect quietly on it:
“Give yourself the permission to say ‘this isn’t serving me’ and walk away in peace.”