Values To Live By For A Healthy Life

You only Live once. Make it meaningful!

This year has probably been the most difficult one for all of us... But let's not forget that it's only a phase. Time changes and that's one great thing about time. We can either waste our energy over things we cannot control or utilize this time to make some great changes in our lives.

If you ask me... I'd say let's focus on things on which we have some control and how we can use this time of the year in the most productive and effective way. I believe that we must keep working on ourselves and keep learning and growing from our experiences. I am a very eager learner myself, and here are a few significant values I have discovered till now, which can truly make you live a healthy life and have a healthy mind.

1. No Comparison is the fast track to happiness

So, this is one very important lesson that we must learn, I'll tell you I had learnt it... 

I was about 5 years old when I started swimming, every summer my mom used to take me to the pool in a five-star hotel with lot of young and attractive crowd all around me. I was just 5! A five-year-old has no clue of their surroundings whatsoever. Me being not any different always was in my own world of fantasies and fairy tales. I feared the waters at first (how I learned to swim, that's a different story all together, I’ll share it some other day), but once I learned it, I felt like This is it!

Like I was born to do this, I treated it like it was my IKIGAI, and who knows maybe it was then.

So, my love for swimming and swimming pools kept me strong throughout the summers and I never felt like leaving once I start. So, one fine day. During my summer routine, I was playing with my friends, and a group of kids in the pool came up and challenged me to race with them freestyle, me being an enthusiast jumped right on... and not that any of them was a bad swimmer themselves it was quite a tough challenge to beat them. Not to brag, but I won. Every single race and every single time, which also made me quite famous among the pool crowd. Years went by and I used to keep racing every now and then with my friends and others. I thought I was great, and no one could beat me in swimming until I lost my first race. it did hit me hard at first, but it did not keep me from going on. I took that seriously, and increased my hours at practicing, After a lot of deep thinking and practice, my coach helped me figure my only Mistake! and that was "Distraction", That evening during the race, when I came second... for the first time ever I turned my head to the left to see the person next to me, I wanted to compare our positions and see if I was winning (Comparison). That distracted me and I lost the race.

Moral: The only way you can lose and kill your vibe is by shifting your focus, by comparing yourself to other people's goals, successes, style and life! 

2. The Art of saying No 

Yes, I know it's the most common advice from everyone who's trying to motivate you, but what they won't tell you is... How to say No. You must learn the art of saying "No" because, sometimes the people you have to say "no" to are your friends that matter, your parents for whom you care, the colleagues who can affect your work life balance. There are people in our lives, who expect from us and it's not always the best decision to hurt them by a straightforward "No". How do we say it? What can be said? Keep in mind one thing for sure, that approaching in a polite and loving manner will never be a bad deal in the end... it can be tough but it's always a win win, of course, there are only a few people who deserves a "Respectful No", not everyone.. this call you need to take for yourself. But for the ones who deserve it... Always approach with respect, and love, let that person know, you care for them too and you understand. The conversation should be soft and mature, the difference of perspective must be put across in the way where the other person's feelings are respected too! Your words matter... every time.

3. Don't Let Them Control You

And by "Them", I mean your thoughts. 

You should never control your thoughts, but you can control your mind from getting affected by your thoughts. There will be all types of emotions in life. Sometimes you'll feel happy and sometimes sad. You feel positive and you feel negative... sad, angry, funny, emotional, cheerful, etc. These feelings, emotions are generated by your thoughts! If you want to control your thoughts, it will surely start suppressing your feelings and your mind will slowly start to become a time bomb, which one day will burst out all at once. So, my best advice to you is... let the thoughts flow as per your circumstances but don't let your mind control your life and your reactions. What you can do is... think your original thoughts and then actively think something else like

-The food you want to eat

-The score you want to get

-The routine you want to start

-The person you like to meet

-The goals you have 

-The next step to win

It can be anything, just make sure it makes you feel motivated and happy again after a few minutes.

This is the way. (Mandalorian Style! Ha ha) 

4. About the Goals!

I believe we all have some. We must have goals, and that's what keeps us going and keeps us growing too. You know there is this thing about goals, what they are depends on each of us, but why they are? that's the question. The goals inspired by negative emotions are the ones I'm going to avoid in life. Sometimes we set a goal to only win from someone we compare with or someone we hate... This is the kind of Goal; we don't want in our lives. I know it's obviously important to prove yourself sometimes, but let that be a short-term competition, don't make it your way of life. While setting your goals in life keep these few notes in mind:

1. I am doing this because it will make me feel proud

2. I will achieve this to be a better version of myself

3. The goal should let me sleep, and make me work towards it with a positive mindset and not a jealous or angry one

4. The journey should be challenging but shouldn't steal the peace of your mind

I wish to see you in a healthy mindset, and I hope this helps... Please leave your feedback in the comments below