My 3 Best Daily *Actionable* Tips to Cultivate a Positive Mindset
To equip you with resilience
👋 Hi, I’m Irene!
Every Sunday at 9 AM EST, you'll get one anecdote, lesson, or tip I've learned on how to be a better & happier person - to help you in becoming better and happier, too.
Read Time: 6.37 minutes
Hi everyone! Welcome back to another edition of A Joyful Life.
How have you been?! As always, feel free to respond and let me know. I read every single email and I reply, too. 😊
Here are two updates before we get into the main content for today:
The most obvious one: I changed the name of this newsletter from The Happiness Diary to A Joyful Life.
I’ve added 3 sections to my Substack Homepage: Mindfulness and Positivity, Purposeful Living, and Holistic Well-Being. These are my content pillars. I don’t have an exact rotation but my newsletters will always fall into one of these buckets.
Also, here’s a fun fact for the day: ‘Irene’ (my name, in case you didn’t know 🤣) means peace. And that’s what I hope my newsletter brings to you—joy and peace in your life.
January 2024 was tough, workwise.
I ended a contract with Client A. I haven’t received new work from Client B. I haven’t heard back from Client C since she agreed to work together. Three inbound leads said my rate was out of their budget. One outbound lead said the same, too.
So, here are my three best tips for staying positive during hard times.
Win the day
“I’m going to feel anxiety because I’m hiding from anxiety. I might as well feel anxiety while I’m striving for something.”
Leila Hormozi said this in an interview on Women of Impact with Lisa Bilyeu.
I typed it into my Notes app right after I heard it because 🤯(It’s the exploding head emoji if you can’t see it on your screen.)
She’s right. I realized I feel the most anxiety when I’m numbing myself with cheap dopamine activities. When I’m not doing anything to get more clients. When I’m not upgrading my skills in writing, email newsletters, or social media marketing.
And I realized the anxiety I feel from staying in inaction is so, so much worse than the anxiety I feel from sending cold pitches. From being rejected from leads. And from not getting responses.
So, here’s what I recommend: Create A Power List (I learned this from Andy Frisella.)
Every day, write 5 critical tasks you must complete each day to help you make progress toward your biggest goals and dreams in life.
If you finish all 5 of your critical tasks between the time you wake up and the time you go to bed, you win the day. If you fail to complete all 5 of your critical tasks, you lose the day.
Why do I like this technique?
Because it helps me focus on doing the work. On winning the day. On doing what I can today to get better instead of feeling anxious about the future or depressed about the past.
As Andy Frisella wrote, “If you win enough days, you win the week. If you win enough weeks, you win the month. If you win enough months, you win the year. If you win enough years, you WIN YOUR LIFE.”
So just win the day.
You’ll never regret this
I didn’t want to include this, but I had to.
Because after living in Canada, Taiwan, and Hungary, I’ve realized how *uncommon* it is to take of your physical and mental health.
It may seem like everyone does it and it’s the most natural thing to do if you do it because people like that surround you and you search for information about it.
But trust me. You’ll be surprised by the number of people who don’t.
So, my second tip is: Take care of your physical and mental health!
There’s a gigantic difference in how I feel when I invest in my health versus when I don’t.
Do one thing every day for your mind. Do one thing every day for your body. Do one thing every day for your soul.
You’ll never regret it.
Here are 10 activities for each category to help you get started.
For your mind:
Regular phone calls with close friends for emotional support.
Sudoku puzzles for cognitive stimulation and mental agility.
Painting or drawing for creative expression and relaxation.
Seeking therapy or counselling for mental health support.
Learning a new language using language learning apps.
Morning meditation using guided apps for mental clarity.
Daily positive affirmations during the morning routine.
Mindful breathing exercises during work breaks.
Yoga and deep breathing for stress reduction.
Reading a novel for an hour before bedtime.
For your body:
Do dynamic stretches for flexibility and improved mobility.
Eat a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
Schedule annual health check-ups for preventive care.
Practice sun salutations for flexibility and relaxation.
Drink 8 glasses of water daily for optimal hydration.
Practice diaphragmatic breathing for relaxation.
Reduce daily screen exposure for eye health.
Run in the park for cardiovascular fitness.
Get 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night.
Lift weights to build and tone muscles.
For your soul:
Morning meditation by focusing on breathing and calming thoughts.
Mindful eating by savouring flavours and appreciating each bite.
Daily gratitude journal listing thankful moments and reflections.
Reading sacred texts or poetry for spiritual growth and insight.
Painting or sculpting to express emotions and foster creativity.
Evening prayer or lighting candles for spiritual connection.
Affirmations like "I am resilient" for self-love and positivity.
Forest hikes to connect with nature and find inner peace.
Volunteering at a local shelter to help those in need.
Listening to classical music for relaxation.
As Steven Bartlett said, “We have nothing without our health - our health is our first foundation. Our dreams, ambitions, experiences, relationships and passions are all contingent on a foundation of good health - without our health, we have nothing.”
You are not a machine
Justin Welsh wrote this on LinkedIn two weeks ago:
“I am not a productivity machine. I don't care about maximizing my day. I don't care about squeezing every last drop of revenue out of my business. I'm not interested in using people & discarding them for personal gain. I'm interested in having fun, hanging out with my wife, building cool stuff, figuring out difficult challenges, and helping people achieve. That's what I'm all about. That's why I'm a Solopreneur.”
This philosophy resonates with my approach to work. Here’s how it plays out in my life: I work on my five critical tasks during the day. Then, I do one thing I love in the evening to rest.
Now, you might think, “You’re not working hard enough. You’re not sending 100 cold pitches every day. You’re not writing or studying every hour you get. You don’t want it bad enough.”
And you’re right.
I could be doing more. When you’re self-employed, there’s a neverending list of things you could be doing. So, where do you draw the line? When do you stop working?
In my case, I feel I’ve already won the day and made progress toward my goals by completing my five critical tasks. I feel assured knowing I did what I needed to do. And I know my tiny actions will compound over time.
I do not need to work every second, minute, or hour of the day to build a life I love. That’s not what A Joyful Life is to me.
Is that A Joyful Life to you? That’s up to you to decide.
But doing one thing I love every night lets me enjoy, be present, and feel grateful for life. That’s how I have the will to keep going the next day. Then, the day after that. And, the day after that.
So, think about this: What do you love doing? Do you love running? Baking? Cooking? Painting? Reading? Crochet?
Whatever it is, carve some time to do one thing you love every night.
After doing all that you can…
Remind yourself to endure. To let go. To surrender to the Universe. To love whatever happens, ‘good’ or ‘bad’. To feel thankful for what you’re going through.
These obstacles are building your character. These obstacles are paving the way for you.
Don’t forget that.
How I’m building my happiness muscles
Enter Your BAD B*TCH Era! - Break These "NICE GIRL" Habits To Master Confidence | Leila Hormozi—Leila talks about being unapologetic about your personal choices. She shares how you can turn your challenges into victories. And why a strong mindset is the key to every change and every success you ever have.
how to know when it’s time for a change—Aileen talks about how to know when it’s time for a change, and how to deal with the fear and uncertainty of change.
How I boost my mood and energy when I'm feeling low—Radhi shares a few of her tips and tricks that help her get out of a funk and help uplift herself a bit faster.
Before you go
I hope you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter.
If you have a minute, I’d love for you to respond to this email to let me know:
Your biggest takeaway
Your biggest challenge
Your biggest struggle right now
It helps me understand what you’re interested in learning more about so I can write content that’s helpful and relevant for you!
Thank you so much for that!
I’ll see you next Sunday,
Irene
In a financial context, health = wealth. You can be wealthy (and anything else you want) as long as you're healthy.