Sunday, January 12, 2014

Mihran Kalaydjian - 13 Things We All Need To Start Doing Immediately

By Mihran Kalaydjian, CHA
13 Things We All Need To Start Doing Immediately



 
It’s easy to get stuck in a monotonous routine without realizing it. Most people think that being in a rut means you’re miserable and that’s not necessarily true. You can find yourself being happy enough, which is scary because you aren’t quite sad, but you’ll never push yourself to be a better person because you’re good enough. Here are 13 things we should all start doing to, not only make ourselves better, but to improve the lives of those around us.
 
 
1. Watch a movie with your phone completely turned off. I don’t mean on silent either. Let yourself get lost in the movie and stop checking the amount of likes your Facebook status got for 90 minutes.
 
2. Go buy a new pillow. You’ve been sleeping on that old one for years and it’s falling apart. You’ll improve your quality of sleep as well as how you feel in the morning for less than the cost of a Blu-Ray that you’ll buy and never take out of the plastic.
 
3. Take a drive with the radio turned off. You’ll be amazed how much more relaxing it is not having insurance commercials screamed at you every four minutes.
 
4. At least one time per month, buy a Groupon for something that you’ve always wanted to do, but never actually tried.
 
5. Go to a church service with your mom or grandma. It’s an hour out of your day and will mean the world to her.
 
6. You know those friends that live all over the country you rarely see? Start a group text or email (yes I know how awful those things are, but this is different) and plan out a time for you all to get together.
 
You’ve all been saying how much fun it would be to all hang out again and unless you take the initiative, it’s never going to happen.
 
7. Buy a drink for a stranger at the bar. Not someone you’re trying to hook up with, but just a random person. If you want, do it anonymously.
 
8. Text a friend, not on a holiday, and tell them how much you appreciate their friendship. It takes such little effort but will make someone’s day.
 
9. Volunteer. It doesn’t have to be every weekend, but you’ll feel fantastic afterward and, more importantly, you’ll actually be making a difference.
 
10. When going out to eat, occasionally get the good steak. It’s $6 more than the sirloin you were going to get and your night will be so much better.
 
11. Start writing down your thoughts. Even if you know you won’t be faithful to a journal, it’s amazing to be able to look back at yourself from a year ago and see how much you’ve grown or changed.
 
12. Go get a massage. If you have to start a coin jar to save up change for six months, do it. It releases so much tension and stress, plus, you deserve it, right?
 
13. Buy a shirt that’s a color outside of your normal spectrum. I went an entire year where it seemed the only things I bought were gray t-shirts. Try on a color or pattern you normally wouldn’t consider and see what you think.