Improving life, day by day, bit by simple bit

Price of Betrayal - the 5th novel in the series - find it here

FUN FACT: There are officially 100 more days left for the year. What will you do with the remaining days of 2019?

Last month I shared about the fact that I was challenging myself in an attempt to make better morning habits to start each day off right. I used The Morning Sidekick Journal to track my daily morning habits and after 66 days, I felt accomplished and ready to continue with my newly formed morning routine, even without the book as my daily guide.

While I was filling out the journal during the 66-day challenge, one of the daily questions was to list one way I could improve life by 1%.

Just one idea per day.

I was going to store the journal away but before doing that, I decided to add my list of ideas to my bullet journal, where it could be in one place and I could refer to it whenever I wanted. And because fall is said to be a good time for change, reflection and self-discovery, I thought I’d also share it here. I’ve tamed the list down to just 31 items, something for every day of the month.

Here’s my list of one way per day I believe I can improve life by 1%:

1. Stick to a morning routine
2. Be mindful and present in the moment
3. Meditate, even if just for five minutes
4. Use morning mantras
5. Reach out to family and friends
6. Craft/color/draw for the fun of it
7. Drink more water
8. Exercise regularly
9. Walk in nature often
10. Laugh every day
11. Use positive affirmations
12. Listen more, speak less
13. Schedule in self care
14. Do something out of your comfort zone
15. Work on forming a nighttime routine
16. Enjoy more sunrises
17. Be open to change
18. Forgive yourself
19. Forgive others
20. Eat veggies every day
21. Spend less, save more
22. Reduce screen time
23. Stay positive
24. Stay focused
25. Journal and reflect on the day
26. Don’t overstress
27. Think before speaking
28. Be open to possibilities
29. Take advantage of every day
30. Be grateful
31. Continue to build on good habits

Sticking to just half my list will improve my life by a huge percentage and I had a difficult time paring it down to just 31 because so many of the ideas I had felt important! But you get the idea and I’m sure you’d have a number of things you might add that would resonate more personally for you.

If you’re using this season to reflect and make changes, working on a list of your own might not be a bad idea. When I was building my list, I didn’t think much of it until I went back through and combined all of the items together. What seemed like simple, daily tips morphed into a motivating roadmap that I can easily follow and build upon.

While I’m glad to say I’m focusing on many of the items on this list on a daily basis, there are a few that I knew would take some work before I’d be able to put them into practice. One such item is #14. How many of us really enjoy pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone? Not me. But it’s a necessity in order to grow as a person and a professional.

So I finally pushed myself and I tackled a project that I’ve been putting off for way too long and which completely took me out of my comfort zone. This particular project was to finally build an author website. Yes! I finally have a website. During the process I had to keep reminding myself about #17 (because I enjoy using Blogger and it’s been my “home base” for so long) and #26 (easier said than done!). It’s going to be a WIP as I work out any kinks and change things I might not like, but it’s up and running and soon I’ll also be sending out regular newsletters. This is another jump away from my comfort zone – I’m on a roll! J

If you want to check it out, view my website at www.pjhowellauthor.com and be sure to sign up if you want to receive my monthly newsletters via email. If you spot any issues with the website or signup process, please let me know. I think a website is a lot like a child and it might take a village to raise it properly.

So what will you do with the remaining 100 days of this year?

I know what I’ll be doing…writing, editing, playing with my new toy (the website), building my email list, having fun with newsletters, and preparing for a large speaking event. I believe those tasks will keep my days full and productive. Don’t you?

Let the 100-day countdown begin!