13 Simple Habits That Can Change Your Life For The Better

Easy AND free. H/T Quora

1. Master the art of listening.

@buzzfeed / Via instagram.com

"We all have a need to be heard in conversation. When speaking with people, try to listen first and understand their perspective before responding with your point of view. Often you’ll find that the other person has some valid points that you wouldn’t have realized otherwise."

2. Take the long view in life.

Comedy Central

"Be patient. The forest is never just the trees. Markets crash and markets rebound. Today’s setbacks aren’t deadly. With the right attitude, you’ll get over them — and then some."

3. Treat happiness like a habit and not an end goal.

NBC

"Treat happiness like a habit and actively look for what you can do to become happier every day."

4. Learn to love waking up.

Fox

"That’s what morning rituals are for. Forget productivity. It’s about looking forward to the dawn of a new day. Have your coffee. Do your yoga. Read. Whatever makes you excited for your feet to touch the ground when you wake up."

5. Be grateful for what you have instead of focusing on what others have.

@fueljournal / Via instagram.com

"A practice of gratitude helps to restructure our brain so we see life as plentiful instead of empty. You only need five minutes in your day to do it. As soon as you wake up, take a notebook and write three things you are grateful for today: it can be something as simple as a roof over your head, food in the fridge, a warm bed, running water, a positive relationship with people you love the most, or even an education that allows you to read and write."

6. Hug everyone.

Disney

"Virginia Satir, a family therapist, suggests we need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. Regardless of the exact science, the answer to how many hugs we need is more. It’s hard to overdose on hugs. Be a hugger."

7. Adopt a giving mentality.

Harpo Studios

"Become a person that can add value to others and you’ll notice others will do the same for you. For example, if you are a fantastic photographer, offer to take your friends’ headshots or general photos for those that may be interested. Think of value like currency. The more value you have to offer, the more your value and respect increases."

8. Have at least one meal a day without multitasking.

@samid1988 / Via instagram.com

"There’s so much going on in our everyday lives that we inevitably end up multitasking all our meals — we have breakfast on the bus watching traffic go by or we have dinner in front of the TV. Whenever we do that, we don’t taste the food, we probably don’t savor each bite, and we often don’t feel full because the meal went by too quickly. Try eating one meal without distractions, enjoy the colors of the food, inhale its fragrance and the spices that went into making it, observe the texture, eat slowly, and enjoy every spoonful.

9. Acknowledge the good.

NBC

"Spread a little positivity. When you like the soup, say 'I like this soup.' When your friends make you happy, say 'You make me happy.' When your coworker does a good job, say 'Thank you, good job.' Negative people are louder, but not the majority. Let them know."

10. Meditate for five minutes every morning.

livingshitpost.tumblr.com

"As little as a minute of slow, deep breathing calms you down and lowers blood pressure, and just a few minutes per day delivers an incredible return on investment. When I began meditating, I counted the number of breaths, and tried to do one more breath each day. Do whatever it takes to get started, and eventually you’ll come to love the internal benefits of feeling calm and being better able to control your emotions."

11. Go for a walk near trees at least once a day.

@crowe74 / Via instagram.com

"Any contact with nature will boost your mood and improve your health. Loads of research on this one. Just think of the Toronto experiment: They found that by having just 10 trees in your neighborhood was beneficial for health and people in these areas were less likely to have diabetes or suffer from heart disease."

12. Learn from those who surround you.

@bimadew / Via Twitter: @bimadew

"Look around — you are surrounded by innumerable examples, ideas, words, wisdom, mistakes and experiences. Analyze and use them to your own benefit. Or merely steal carefully."

13. Make time for loved ones.

Another Round/BuzzFeed

"We can get so caught up in work that we often prioritize it over relationships. However, relationships should be stimulated and built over time. I once read a study that stated the main regret dying people have is that they didn’t look after their relationships with loved ones. After all, you could be the most successful person in the world but if you die lonely and without family, you leave behind no legacy, only regret."