10 Ways to Enhance Your Quality of Life

I’m not gonna lie, enhancing your quality of life will not be easy. It takes conscientious effort on your part, also known as work. You, like everyone else on this planet, have “bad” habits that diminish your quality of life and getting rid of them, like any bad habit, can be a challenge. If you’re an eternal pessimist, that outlook is going to be difficult to reverse. If you suffer from anxiety or undue stress, there’s no easy fix for that. However, all hope is not lost…says the eternal pessimist. There are some simple tasks that you can start working on now that can begin to improve your quality of life, but you’ve got to keep performing them over and over and not backslide into your old, bad habits.

Here are ten methods to that can go a long way to enhancing your quality of life…

1. Ensure you get enough sleep. Yeah, I know, easier said than done. Remember, I said this ain’t gonna be easy. For me, my quality of life revolves around getting enough sleep. If I don’t, which happens too often, my quality of life suffers, and my mood then affects the quality of life of those closest to me. Most of us need seven to nine hours of sleep each night in order to attain peak performance the next day. Since I don’t know you personally, I can’t tell you, specifically, how to achieve this. However, creating and sticking to a bedtime schedule is a good first step.
2. Create and foster good relationships. It’s amazing how important friend and familial relationships are to all of us. However, often we allow those relationships to wither and die over time. Do not allow that to happen. Keep in touch with the people you value most and watch your quality of life improve.
3. Uncover your inner optimist. Study after study proves that optimists have a better quality of life than pessimists. I’m a huge believer in focusing on the good in my life rather than the bad. That doesn’t mean I ignore the bad, I just choose to focus more on the good. As I tell my sons before they step into the batter’s box during a baseball game, focus on getting a hit rather than being afraid of striking out.
4. Give of yourself. Volunteer at the local food shelter or humane society. Help someone in need. Commit random acts of kindness on a regular basis. Mentor the young. Volunteer your time to help those less fortunate than you and you’ll be surprised how your sense of self-worth soars.
5. Do things you enjoy. Your leisure time is valuable, so use it wisely (and not to clean your house…unless you enjoy that kind of thing). Find your Zen activity, whatever that may be, and do it often and regularly. Most find their Zen activity involves nature in some way, shape or form.
6. Celebrate the wins, even the small ones. Yes, most of us celebrate the milestones in our lives (birthdays, weddings, promotions), but it’s important to celebrate the small things as well (completing a 5k, winning a game of bridge, successfully parallel parking).
7. Control what you can. There’s some prayer or saying out there about having the wisdom to understand what you can control in your life and what you cannot. It’s really important to follow that advice. You cannot control the weather. However, you can control how you react to bad weather news. Learn to know the difference between the things that are within your control and those that are not.
8. Know thyself is a Greek aphorism (short expression of a general truth) that was inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi (two additional aphorisms inscribed there were “nothing to excess” and “surety brings ruin,” which are also excellent words to live by). If you know you, then you know your beliefs and ethics. If you don’t, sit down and figure them out.
9. Eat better. You knew this one was coming, right? Reducing the amount of processed food you eat, while increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you consume will have a profound effect on your quality of life, especially if it leads to weight loss and all the related health benefits that naturally follow.
10. Always strive to become a better person. Try not to be a static person, always look for new ways to grow and improve, however you define that. This mentality helps give your life more purpose, especially if you feel your career is stuck in first gear. Take a class, read more, learn to play an instrument, strive to be nicer, hug the ones you love more.

Most of us cannot employ all ten tips, and some of us don’t need to. I tend to focus on three (sleep, optimism and always seeking growth) and oftentimes find just those three more than enough. As I mentioned, this isn’t a one-shot thing. If you decide to try any or all these methods, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul. Good luck, my friend.