One of my favorite quotations is from Mother Teresa. It is "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today. Let us begin." Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is a new day. Each day brings the new opportunity for change and happiness. I have been thinking lately about how to increase my own happiness. I know that small seemingly insignificant changes can make a huge impact over time. The trick is to find the truly small changes that will not be too painful to incorporate into everyday life. For instance, I am not in a place where I can start a whole new bedtime routine that insures that I am in bed and fast asleep by ten thirty but I can certainly floss.
A new month is starting this week (OK, I am adding a couple of extra days for more practice). I have been thinking about three small changes I can make this month that will benefit my physical health without costing any money or huge amounts of time. I have come up with the following three small changes that I can turn into good habits. First, I will floss at some point during the day. My gums will be happier, and I will be less likely to suffer from heart disease (seriously, check it out on Web MD). Next, I will make it a point to exercise for 30 minutes each day. Not necessarily continuously, but 30 minutes seems like it should be manageable. Finally, I will make it a point to keep myself hydrated. You will notice that two of these items are on my list for optimum happiness. I have fallen off that particular wagon, and need to get back on track. I feel like these two are the easiest for me to start with, and I can work on the others at a later time.
I have also decided that in order to keep motivated and stay on track, I will make a chart. I get satisfaction from checking off things that have been done (I am a visual person). These few small changes will pay off in dividends later. I will keep you posted on my progress!
