擁有更好生活的十種方法
This morning as I took my kids to school, I was feeling rushed and harried. Stress levels high, my face wore a permanent frown, my mind was in a million different places, and my two youngest kids (3 year old, and 20 months) were quiet in their car seats.
Then I realized: while my mind is elsewhere, I’m missing some prime moments with my kids. And not really enjoying my day.
And so I changed the moment, and in doing so changed my day: we began singing some of our favorite children’s songs. Itsy-bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle, wheels on the bus, ABCDs, I’ve been work.ng on the railroad, the ants go marching two by two … all of the oldies.
Instead of thinking about all the things I had to do today, I brought myself into the present moment. And when we got to school, I took a few minutes to spend time with them. Be present with them. It was truly lovely.
This little incident not only brought warmth and joy into my heart … it brought a realization into my mind: I can either have a stressed, difficult day … or I can have an amazing, wonderful day.
I chose the amazing day.
The rest of the day, I did things to ensure that my day was the best ever. And it was. I had the greatest day … all from simple little things that don’t seem like much, but make all the difference in the world.
Do you have to follow these things step-by-step? Not at all. Find your own methods, or pick and choose a few of these. Main thing, though: take steps to make today your best day ever.
1. Be present. Instead of having your mind elsewhere, bring yourself back to now, in this moment, focused on where you are and what you’re doing and who you’re with. We cannot change things that have already happened, and obsessing over them does nothing to help us now. We cannot predict the future, so worrying about it does nothing to help you either. Instead, focus on now … if something is worrying you, take action … but even better, just be in the moment, and live as if now is all there is. Because it is.
2. Do less. Have a full schedule today? Cut it in half. You don’t need to do everything on that list. I took a few items on my list and moved them to next week. Do less (but focus on the important — not urgent — stuff) and you’ll be less stressed out. If you cut your list down and do only half the things you want to do for today, you’ll have a much better day. You’ll thank me.
3. Get one important thing done. As I said in the previous point, do less but do more important things. When I say important, I mean things that will have a huge impact on your life (personally or career wise) over the long run. Not things that need to be done today or else. Here’s why: If you get something important done, something that will help you in the long run (even if it’s only a step towards a major accomplishment, it’s important), you will feel great! You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. That makes any day a great day.
4. Plan your perfect life. What would your life be like if you had no restrictions? I’m not talking about living in a McMansion or flying around in jet planes, but what would make you happy. A good step: pick the 4-5 most important things in your life, and build your perfect life around those things, eliminating most of the rest if possible. Plan that perfect life, and then plan the first few steps you need to take to get there. Now schedule those first steps over the next week, including one today. It feels amazing to start taking action on making your life the way you want it to be.
5. Declutter. Even if it’s just a little space — say a drawer or a shelf — decluttering an area of your life can have a wonderful effect on your mood and happiness level. I know it gives my day a boost. When things start to get cluttered (and let’s face it, even the best declutterers among us face clutter creep), I take a few minutes to clear it out. Clearing your desk (at least the surface of it) can be a great way to start.
6. Go for a walk. I was going to write “exercise” but I’m afraid that many readers will just skip over this one. So instead, just go for a walk. That movement, and the fresh outdoor air, will have a great effect on your day. And even better: take a few minutes to enjoy the nature around you as you go for your walk. Clear your head. Calm yourself during a busy time of your day. Think to yourself: “How lucky I am to be alive! How wonderful a world I’m in! What opportunities and possibilities lie before me!”
7. Focus on 3 projects. I wrote about this recently, but you’ll probably hear me repeat it a few times just because of the terrific effect it can have on your productivity and your life: choose only your three most important projects, and focus on them exclusively. Focus on getting them to completion, to the exclusion of all other projects. Do that today. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll accomplish. I only started doing it recently, but I’m getting so much done that I feel like I was sitting on my hands before this. It feels wonder-tastic!
8. Listen to great music. When I was in the car, after I dropped the kids, an oldie came on the radio: Tommy James and the Shondells singing Hanky Panky. “I saw her walking on down the line (yeah) … you know I saw her for the very first time …” Well, I love songs like that (call me old if you like) and I started dancing in my seat. You might be turned on by hipper songs (or is “hipper” not a trendy word anymore?) but whatever music gets you going, jam it on your iPod or car radio. Or while you work. It’s a great time! “Hey, pretty baby, can I take you home!”
9. Watch a sunrise or sunset. Trite? Yes, definitely. But does it work? Yes, definitely. I took the time to enjoy the sunset on my way home today. Mmmmm. It was lovely. It just fills me with warmth. Sunrises are even more beautifuller!
10. Spend time with a loved one. Another obvious one, perhaps, but there’s nothing better, really. When I spent even just a few minutes with my two babies this morning, it filled me with a joy unequaled anywhere else in life. Then I spent some time with my wife, after work, and let me just say that’s about as good as it gets too. Even if you don’t have a spouse or kids, there’s someone in your life that you value … make time out of your day today to spend time with them … and not just to watch TV, but to actually be with them, talk with them, bond with them. It works.今天早上當我送孩子上學的時候，我感到匆忙和困擾。高壓的生活，使我眉頭緊鎖，我的思維還飄忽在不同的地方，而我最小的兩個孩子（1個3歲，1個20個月）安靜的坐在座位上。
於是我意識到：當我的思維還在別處的時候，我錯過了與孩子相處的最好時光，並沒有真正的享受每一天的美好。
所以我馬上改變，決定改變我的生活：我們一起唱一些最受歡迎的兒童歌曲，“Itsy-bitsy spider, twinkle twinkle, wheels on the bus, ABCDs, I’ve been working on the railroad, the ants go marching two by two …（歌詞吧，不知道這麼翻譯了）”……一些老歌。
我並沒有思考今天必須要處理的事情，而是將自己帶回到眼前的現實。當我們到達學校的時候，我和他們一起玩耍了幾分鐘，和他們相處，纔是真正的愛。
這小小的舉動不僅給我的心靈帶來溫暖和快樂，同時也讓我深深的意識到：我能有一個高壓、艱難的生活，同樣可以擁有一個美好和愉快的生活。
我選擇美好的生活。
剩下的時間，我做了一些事情使得我擁有更美好的生活。偉大的一天，都來自於一些看似簡單，但卻令世界不同的事情。
你必須按部就班的去做以下這些事情嗎？不一定。你可以找到你自己的方法，或者從中選擇幾點建議。關鍵的是，採取一些措施讓你擁有更美好的生活。
1、活在當下。不要讓你的思維飄忽在別處，回到現在，這一刻，聚焦在自己身上，你在哪裏？你正在做什麼？你和誰在一起？我們不能改變已經發生的事情，而被它們困然對我們毫無益處；我們不能預測未來，所以擔心對我們毫無用處。相反，關注現在。如果一件事情正困擾着你，馬上行動。
2、減少工作量。今天日程是否已經過多？減少一半。你不需要做清單上的所有事情。我挑選一些清單上的項目安排到下週進行。少做一些（但是關注那些重要但不緊急），會讓你感到壓力少一些。如果你減半清單上今天要處理的事項，你會擁有更美好的一天。你就會感謝我了。
3、處理一件重要的事情。正如我上一條建議所說的，少做一些但是要處理更重要的事情。重要是指那些最終會影響你生活（個人或職業發展）的事情。並不是需要今天就處理，因爲，如果你完成了那些最終會影響你的事情（即使僅僅是通往成功的一個階段，也非常重要），你會有成就感，將會令你擁有美好的一天。
4、計劃一個完美的生活。如果沒有限制你的生活將會是什麼樣子？我的意思不是說住在大房子裏或在天上飛來飛去，而是什麼會讓你快樂。一個好的方法是：明確4-5件你生活中最重要的事情，並圍繞這些事情建立你的生活。計劃你完美的生活，並且計劃你要實現目標所需要採取的一些基本的方法。現在確定第一步的時間表，包括今天要做什麼。這將會有非常好的感受一旦當你開始向着你的目標邁出第一步。
5、整理。即使是隻有一點空間，比如說一個抽屜或是一個架子，整理也會帶給你快樂的情緒，正如所帶給我的一樣。當事情開始變得混亂（讓我們面對這個問題，我們之中最好的整理者面對這個問題），我花一些時間清理它們。整理你的桌子（至少是桌面）會是一個良好的開始。
6、出去走走。我本想用“練習”這個詞的，但我擔心可能很多的讀者看到“練習”之後會跳過這一節，所以，只是出去走走。出去走走，戶外新鮮的空氣十分有助於你的生活。如果你能花幾分鐘享受自然環境就更好了，將會幫助你清醒頭腦，讓你在一天中忙碌的時間裏冷靜的處理問題。想想：“我活着是多麼的幸運！多美好的世界呀！充滿了機遇！”
7、聚焦3件重要事情。我剛寫了關於這個主題的文章，你可能偶爾也聽到我重複這個觀點，因爲它可以極大的提升你的效率和生活水平：選擇你認爲最重要的3件事情，並且全神貫注在這3件事情，聚焦在這3件事情的完成，排除其他的事情。從今天就開始行動，你將發現你會獲得成就感。雖然我自己最近纔開始這樣做，但我已經感受到了成就感，感覺好極了！
8、聽聽音樂。當我開車送完孩子上學之後，我會播放一段“老掉牙”的音樂：Tommy James and the Shondells 樂隊演唱的 Hanky Panky. “當她從我身邊走過，你知道我們一見鍾情…” 我喜歡這種風格的歌曲（你可以叫我“老掉牙”）並跟着節奏在自己的座位上“跳舞”。你也許會聽一些Hipper的歌曲（甚至“Hipper”也不能算是一種流行的趨勢了），無論是什麼歌曲只要能讓你有這樣的感覺，你都應該把它們下載到你的IPOD裏或裝在電臺裏。
9、欣賞日出或者日落。老套？是的！有效嗎？是的！我在今天回家的路上享受了日落的時光，非常的美好，讓我心裏充滿了溫暖。日出會更加的漂亮。
10、和所愛的人在一起。這是另一個很簡單的方法，但卻沒有比這更好的了。今天早上當我僅僅花幾分鐘與我的兩個小孩在一起的時候，我的感受是生命中的其他事情所不能給予的。於是下班之後我花了更長的時間與我的妻子在一起。即使你還沒有配偶或者小孩，你生活中也會有所愛的人，今天就抽搐時間和他們在一起，一起看看電視，一起聊天，和他們在一起，這將有助於你！
