"What actions have you taken in your life that led to positive changes?"
Thanks 
So far Auckland (New Zealand) has been in lockdown for 77 days. This is not the first time but I hope it will be the last time. Anyway, I have time to rest and think deeper about my life and those ups-and-downs which have gone through my 30-year life span.
Frankly speaking, I am not a very optimistic person. I know that and I am learning how to be positive. By doing so, I have been practicing as well as taking up new hobbies.
I hope you can find some of the followings appropriate to your routine. Let’s go!
Read more
Reading not only enriches my knowledge and but also inspires me with new ideas that have had a great impact on my life. The more I read, the better I understand this world, about myself and my behaviors.
I have read The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) twice – one of the best-selling books all the time. Among many golden lessons from the book, here are my favorite ones:
"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times"
"If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own"
It reminds me of taking advice and learning from people but doesn’t end up living their lives.
Do Yoga
Good health is more than anything else especially in the pandemic when I see people die of Covid-19 every day. To me health is wealth. And exercise is the best way to strengthen and retain a fit body and optimistic attitude toward life.
When doing exercise, not only endorphins that link with feeling happy but chemicals such as, dopamine, adrenaline, and endocannabinoid also increase – these chemicals relate to feeling confident, capable, feeling less anxiety and stress
source
I took up yoga as my favorite exercise a few years ago and I am proud of doing that as a matter of routine. Why yoga? I enjoy meditation music while doing yoga. It calms my mind, helps me focus on my breaths, and stays present.
Many celebrities practice yoga to maintain their beauty, core strength, fitness, and flexibility. I am following successful examples.
Moreover, in the lockdown period, people must keep their distance from each other, yoga is the best option for me to do at home, in my own space. And it does not require me to be strong or fast to do so.
Accept myself
The only person who lives my life is no one else but myself. To make good decisions, I need to understand and accept myself.
I accept I don’t know what I don’t know so that I know many people are great out there who I should learn from. Knowing my limitations helps me happily welcome and consider others’ ideas instead of denying them.
I accept that I am a human being, and humans can make mistakes so that I forgive myself and move on. I let go of regrets since what happened happened, I cannot change. If I spend too much time thinking about the past, I miss the present and future.
I accept that no one is perfect then forgo being a perfectionist. There’s no harm in doing wrong as well as I am willing to take advice and correct it. Since then I take it easy on me, no more pressure to be good at everything.
I accept that I cannot change others’ minds. The only thing I can change is my attitude toward people. So I say “thank you” more, say “Yes” if I can, and say “No” when needed.
I accept that everyone, everything in this universe is unique so I stop comparing myself to others. The version I need to compare is myself of yesterday, focus on my strengths, and ask myself how I can be better today than yesterday?
Set goals
Setting goals and having plans make my life easier. They lead me to the right track and minimize unwanted results as much as possible. I know the future is unpredictable so I am flexible with setting and achieving my goals.
My current goal is to write blogs to post on Hive communities weekly. This is also a challenge but I am excited to engage. Joining Hive drives me to write more in English, to be more creative and less lazy, ha ha.
My long-term goal is to be 1% better than yesterday. Read more Hiver’s blogs, engage more people, make more friends, keep up with yoga every day either 1 hour or just 15 minutes as long as I don’t quit.
Love myself
I know self-discipline is crucial to one’s success. But when I feel too much pressure because of workload, relationships, or family matters, I spend some time relaxing and spoiling myself. I deserve it, right?
I wake up late, lay in bed rolling in a warm blanket and surfing online, forget the alarm. I treat myself with sweets (which I cut down on my diet daily) without feeling guilty. Well, great to have some sugar to boost my mood, eh?
Shopping is another great option. Do you know girls’ shopping habits depend on their mood, not the number in their account? Well, it’s not too late to know now. Luckily I do more window shopping than real shopping. Phew!
The benefit that shopping brings back to me is I feel I am so rich and fulfilled. I have enough money to buy whatever I like without thinking too much about price (despite the fact is girls are attracted by discount items first).
Loving others means loving myself. Warm hugs to my partner every day, talking to my family every weekend, keeping in touch with friends are ways I feel connected and think life is beautiful and meaningful.
Those actions above are among many ways I have taken to lead me to positive thinking in my life.
How about you? Warmly welcome you to share your experience and leave comments below. Thank you for stopping by and reading my post.
Have a lovely day and stay positive!
Photos taken by my partner NMT
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