5 Ways To Improve Your Outlook – And Stop Being A Buzzkill For The Rest Of Us

Kvetch. It’s a nasty bug. Resilient and easily spread. It also goes by the names Complain, Bellyache and Woe-is-Me. It’s an all-consuming variety that prevents you from seeing the really cool stuff this world has to offer, not to mention dissuades people from wanting to be your friend. (You don’t want to be THAT kid, do you?)

After a long-lasting battle with this nasty bug, I’ve discovered five simple things you can do – starting right now — that have sublime medicinal effects.

1. Stop talking. Please. You’re bringing me down. If you’re talking it means you are relying on your own mind which is framed by your own perspective which is obviously not positive. See the problem?

Start listening. Listen to (or read) someone who has been where you are or is where you want to be. Wherever, whatever that may be, there is a YouTube video for that. For free. You have no excuse.

2. Name 4 things you like about yourself. I know, I know, sounds cheeseball. But seriously, give it a try. And I don’t mean Stuart Smalley-esque  stuff, like “I have great eyelashes” or “My mom loves me.” Give it thought and center your likes on character qualities, because those are the things that endure well after you expire. Character qualities are the things worth your time caring about.

3. Eat fruit. Or a vegetable. Or salmon. Or anything that is good for you. You will be amazed at how your mind follows when your body is free of gunk.

4. Drop and give me 10. Runner’s high is a real thing. For a reason. The cathartic and rejuvenating effects of physical exertion should never be underrated. Not all of us are cut out for a 10-mile run or have time for a 30-minute boot camp. But find something within your limits, be it 10 push-ups on the hour throughout the day or two laps around your office floor. Breathe deep, move as many muscles as possible and get ready for the mojo.

5. Be still. Absolutely still. No talking, no reading, no electronics, no other people. Hole yourself up in the most out-of-the-way spot you can find and just be. For five minutes, just be. Don’t move, don’t speak, don’t calculate, speculate or postulate. Just be. It’s like restarting your phone when the new iOS software makes it go all wonky.

One of these five can help you begin to right your outlook. A combination of two or more is gold. Your friends current and future will thank you.

Which will you try?