Chances are, if you’re listening to this, you are interested in self-improvement. And that’s a great thing. Evolving is important. Becoming the very true you is a joy-maker. And bettering ourselves is vital. Because if we want the world to change, we have to change. If we want the world to be better, we have to be better.
And there’s a reason why this ep is titled “Bettering Ourselves” and not “Bettering Yourself”, because this is a group effort. If we all work toward that — bettering ourselves each and every day — the ripple effect that I love to talk about will become an effing tsunami of groovy.
No matter which aspect of your life you want to improve, or if you’re working on all of them, the place to start is how you start each day. No, I’m not going to tell you to drink hot water with lemon or go out and touch grass, unless you want to have hot water with lemon while touching grass. Do what you want to do, what you feel good doing. That’s the way to start each day. Especially if that is peppered with kindness. Self-kindness and self-compassion.
When I wake up each day, the first thing I do is say, “Thank you.” I want to connect with appreciation and set my vibe toward that. There are usually a few snooze buttons involved before I fully wake and do face-brush gua sha, put on my heated eye mask for my ironically named “dry eye” and sit there for ten mins while I meditate. Then, I make bed, floss and brush, heat by bone broth and decide if I’m going for an urban hike, a row or do some yoga.
The first things I do each morning are things for me, for my betterment. And even if you are a parent and/or spouse or partner, it’s important that those first few moments of the day are yours. It’s like the air hosts tell us: Put your mask on first. If you are able to give to yourself first-thing, you aren’t serving others all day from an empty cup, feeling short-changed and short-tempered.
I really don’t like telling people to “Carve out that time for yourself.” It’s your time. You own it. Maybe keep that time for yourself, and if you’re sharing your life with others, set boundaries for that time and perhaps show them how important those first few moments are for them, too, by being the example.
Choosing a morning routine or ritual that works for you is key. And you will feel the benefit of it by the time you’re commuting to work.
I’ll admit, in order for me to do my morning routine, my first alarm goes off at 4:30 AM. Yeah. That took a while to make happen, but going from night owl to early bird is something that has made me happy. I’m also not someone who leaps out of bed. Not at all. I need time and multiple alarms, each with their own snooze cycles before my eyes are fully open and my head is off my pillows. That’s what works for me. What works for you? Find it. Own it. Protect it.
What are the ways you want to better yourself, specifically? Do you want to further your education? Enhance or change your career? Increase your knowledge? Deepen relationships? Get healthier? Do better financially? Fall in love? Take up archery? Learn tarot? Write poems?
However you want to better yourself, the easiest, simplest, quickest way is to nurture your eudaimonic wellbeing, that authentic, holistic happiness. Really. Every aspect of life gets better once we make being eudaimonically happy a priority. I’m proof. My own guinea pig.
Because once we are in our eudaimonic wellbeing, we have confidence, we have resilience, we have a clear perspective, we assert our boundaries, we know our worth, our purpose, our priorities. Our hearts open, our minds open, opportunities open, our creativity expands. All because we are happy.
Happiness is the ultimate wellness. Happiness leads to success, not the other way around. All the things you are waiting on to make you happy? Well, that stuff is likely of the hedonic variety. So they will make you happy, for a little bit, but not long-term. The real-deal, stick-around stuff is eudaimonic.
So whether you do bone broth or lemon water, yoga or touch grass — how you start your day matters. Whether you want to get smarter, more independent, more financially stable — your betterment matters. You get to have it. And you having it, and your betterment, makes a difference in this world. And being in your eudaimonic wellbeing makes it all happen for you.
Really. It’s as simple as being happy. Real deal eudaimonic wellbeing. It’s a piece of cake
So let’s try something. Improve how you start your day and see how that makes a ripple. Deepen who you are and watch the effect that ripple has. Being the very true you makes such a wonderful impact. So let yourself. Be the change you want to see. Be that happy rebel. And the rest of us will be right beside you. xo
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