High Fives - Episode #2
Five short but actionable ideas you can try today to support your journey towards becoming a better person.
When I posted the first episode of High Fives, I didn’t expect to be the recipient of so many kind words. Thank you to everyone who read and shared the post. But more importantly, thank you to everyone who decided to give the ideas a try. I’ve received quite a number of messages on how the ideas have made you feel wholesome again, helped you reconnect with old friends, challenged you to prioritize your health, made you more productive and even helped you see the world a bit differently as you became more grateful.
I feel so undeserving of the kind messages I’ve received in the past few days. But I also feel so fulfilled knowing that you find actual value in living out the ideas in your own personal lives.
I too challenged myself to implement those ideas and that made me feel like I made some progress in my journey to becoming a better person. I plan to consolidate on that little progress by repeating those ideas in the coming weeks.
If you missed out on episode 1 of High Fives, you can find it here. I talked about why I started the series in the first place, and also shared some details on ideas you can try out as part of your journey to becoming better. Below is a quick summary:
Send a kind note to two different people each day.
Spend two minutes each day counting your blessing. Practice mindful gratitude for all the wonderful things in your life.
Understand that pain can change us. Choose how you respond to painful situations in your life.
Take the first two steps needed to kickstart that passion project you’ve been meaning to work on for some time.
Sleep 8.5 hours every day.
Did you try out any of the ideas? If yes, then awesome. If not, you can always choose to give them a try whenever you’re ready. Don’t feel pressured; trying out the ideas at your own time and pace is equally great.
For this week, here are some ideas that I found very exciting:
Idea 1: Mirror Affirmations
Every morning, we encourage our kids to say their daily affirmations. My daughter’s favourite is “I’m big, I’m bold, I’m beautiful. I’m smart, I’m strong and I can be whatever I want to be. So help me God.” The effects of these affirmations on her self-belief and confidence are incredible.
Daily affirmations aren’t only for kids. Try them out every single day of this week and watch how speaking to yourself in a positive way actually changes you for the better. As you brush your teeth every morning, take a moment, look at yourself in the mirror and convincingly repeat your affirmations.
“I don’t need to be perfect. But I’m going to be excellent.”
“Today, I’m going to be the best at what I do.”
Idea 2: Do something uncomfortable
Yes, get yourself out of your comfort zone where nothing grows. Commit to doing those things that are uncomfortable today but will dramatically improve your life in the future. Every single day, we are presented with numerous opportunities to sacrifice instant gratification and pursue long-term happiness. The question is whether we will take advantage of those opportunities.
Idea 3: Celebrate yourself…
… even if you think you haven’t accomplished anything “significant” during the day. I can tell you that you’re doing much better than you think. You’re a much better parent than you were yesterday. A much better partner, friend, professional, son, daughter, sibling, etc. than you’ve been in the past. So yes, celebrate it! With both feet on the ground, talk yourself up. Cheer for yourself more than you cheer for your favourite sports team because, more than anything else, this is about loving and caring for yourself.
Idea 4: Audit your life
We become better by examining our daily life, identifying opportunities for improvement, and then consistently and diligently working on those opportunities. So pick a day this week, find a quiet place and figure out where you stand in various areas of your life – career, relationships, health, finances, personal development, home/family life, spiritual life, self-care, etc. Are there big things that need urgent intervention? What changes would make the biggest impact in your life?
Idea 5: Become a better speaker
Some of us are better public speakers than the rest of us. But that shouldn’t matter. What’s important is that we make the effort everyday to improve at public speaking. So here is an idea you can try this week: pick any topic you like and film yourself speaking about it for 3 mins, alone in your room (tip: memorize your introduction and conclusion). Review the video afterwards. You will immediately see areas that need improvement – maybe the “ehmmms”, the “uhhhs”, the awkward hand gestures or the timid body language. Or maybe the sentences are not coming together nicely, resulting in your core message not being properly and clearly articulated. Whatever it is, don’t be discouraged. Keep at it and practice as often as you can. Over time, you will become much better at it. Speaking well is a great skill we all need to have.
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.
Before we go, here’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that always inspires me:
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”