Let’s talk about how to change your life for the better.

First off, I’ve done a lot of interesting and fun stuff the last three years. I’ve visited 12 countries, created multiple online courses, became a viral vlogger, traveled to the most remote parts of the Philippines, and even made 6-figures last year.

But I had a lot of problems. 

My relationships kept failing. I was dishonest. I had a touch of arrogance. I ate like crap. I never worked out. I woke up at 9 AM every day. I drank incessantly on the weekends. 

I got a lot of work done, but my well-being wasn’t the best. I also had some rotten parts to my character, and I was immature.

This train was headed for disaster, and in January I ended a long-term relationship with someone I built significant ties to. I was a mess. I flew back home from the Philippines and felt my life had no direction. I drank more to numb myself to the pain. I closed myself off from everyone. 

Then, in my desperation, I started reading a lot of books. Then I began waking up at 7 AM every day. Then with my newfound time I started taking my dogs for walks at 10 AM. Then I began running with my dogs every day. Then I started feeling a bit more responsible. Then I started taking Spanish lessons online. Then I booked a plane ticket to Mexico City. Then I got into local jiu-jitsu classes training with proper Brazilian black belts. A few smaller habits later, here I am! I’m completely changed. I grabbed my life back from the edge of abyss and started a new one here in Mexico. I quite like it. 

I wanted to teach you how to change your life completely today. There’s a few small habits I employed months ago that led to big results for me now, months later.

How To Change Your Life For The Better (Quick Tips)

Most other articles like this teach a system for how to change your life around. Yeah, this article won’t do that. This is more about a few small habits that will give you more time, better relationships, new skills, and the ability to face new situations with optimism instead of fear.

With these benefits, you’ll be able to change your life.

A few habits I don’t talk about in this article that are also really dope are:

• Reading one book per week.
• Journaling every few days.
• Eating healthier
• Working out consistently (running, martial arts, lifting weights, yoga, etc.)

I write about a lot of those habits in this article. Without further ado, let’s get into the six habits that’ll help you change your life.

1. Practice Something New For 60 Minutes Per Day

Two months ago I bought a 3-month subscription to Rosetta Stone’s online Spanish class. There’s 20 modules inside that have some 39 lessons each. Most lessons are 10 minutes long. In short, it’s a mammoth undertaking to actually get through the entirety of this course, because:

1. There’s 780 lessons.
2. There’s over 130 hours of material. 

In the last two months I’ve managed to get through a whopping ten modules of this course. I’m halfway done. My secret is pretty simple..

Practice for 1 hour every day. 

Six weeks ago I arrived in Mexico for the first time and could speak about 2 sentences:

“Me no hablo mucho español.”

and

“Hablo un poco de español.”

Both mean “I don’t speak much Spanish.”

Now I can actually talk like a 5-year-old, which doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, it’s LIGHT YEARS ahead of where I was six weeks ago. Light years.

I can actually have conversations in broken Spanish and understand what people are saying to me. Six weeks ago I was completely lost.

This is the power of a 60-minute daily habit. I practice Spanish for 60 minutes per day. I have a long way to go, but I’ve come a long way, too. I know I have. I can see, hear, and speak the difference.

So begin practicing something new for 60 minutes per day. This is how to change your life for the better. Start picking up new habits ASAP.

2. Believe That You Can Make Any Situation Better

When I get tipsy, I become the best version of myself. I start dance circles at clubs. I make people laugh. I don’t take myself seriously. I talk more. I laugh more. I’m better, I think.

I know it’s weird to say something like that, but for me it’s true.

Why?

Because most times my inhibitions hold me back from doing stuff that would make any situation better.

I’m one of the shyest people I know, but deep down I want to have a good time with everyone. I could write a whole article about confidence, but the truth is that every one of us has the power to make a situation more fun.

We have the power to go the extra mile in life. Most people do not go the extra mile. Most people are just trying to get through life — and I don’t blame them.

You can give someone a compliment, though. You can try to make someone smile. You can improve the day of someone else by being kind, considerate, and respectful. That’s how to change your life.

When you believe in yourself more, and see every situation as an opportunity for you to improve it, life can really start opening up for you.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions

Whenever I meet new people, I make assumptions about them. It’s subconscious, and we all do it. Most times these assumptions underline a fear that I’m not good enough.

• “They wouldn’t like someone like me.”
• “They’re not having fun right now.”
• “They’re annoyed with me.”
• “They’re trying to hurt me on purpose.”

Of course 99% of the time, these assumptions are nowhere close to reality.

Luckily I’ve started to catch myself making these assumptions. If you have a problem with this, here’s why.

You think you know everything.

How’s that for an assumption about you?

Okay, jokes aside, it’s likely that you think you’re a good judge of EVERYTHING that’s happening around you. You’re not. Nobody is. Instead of make assumptions about what’s happening, why not just ask people if they’re bored, or upset, or annoyed, or trying to hurt you?

They’ll likely tell you that wasn’t their intention at all, and the confidence you had in your ability to judge situations will be shattered (ouch).

You need that to happen on your journey towards learning how to change your life for the better.

4. Don’t Take Things Personally

You know what ruins days? 

Petty comments on Facebook designed to hurt you. It can send even the strongest person spiraling out of control.

This happens in real life, too. 

One rude comment can ruin an entire day. So can one comment that was never meant to be rude, but came off as rude to the affected party.

The way to get around this bulljive is to put on a suit of armor called “not taking things personally.”

It’s brilliant. You should try it sometime. 

My Jiu-Jitsu coach lost his patience with me the other day while teaching me a move. I could tell he was somewhat annoyed. While it’s true he was annoyed, in part, because he had to teach a white belt a really easy technique, I let it roll off my shoulders. 

How? I realized two things:

1. I’m a beginner. Beginners are supposed to not know anything.
2. Maybe he was having a bad day, or had other stressful things on his mind, or maybe he’s just sick and tired of rolling jiu-jitsu three times per day every day for the last few years.

People have their own lives. If they’re upset or annoyed or lash out at you in any way, it’s likely because of something else other than YOU.

Stop thinking you’re the center of the universe. That’s a good tip for learning how to change your life completely.

P.S. #3 and #4 on this list are from The Four Agreements. It’s another great book you should read.

5. Wake Up At Or Before 7 AM Every Day

How many badass adults do you know that wake up at 9:30 AM every morning?

Not many, or none.

Come back to the land of the living. Wake up early. Give yourself more time for work, or leisure, or to learn new things. The world is beautiful at sunrise, too. 

Mature adults simply do not wake up at the same time as high school kids do on the weekend.

6. Give Everyone A Chance

My default is to not trust people. I think it’s because I was bullied heavily in Elementary School and felt I couldn’t trust ANYONE around me as a kid.

One beautiful thing about Jiu-Jitsu — my new favorite habit — is that there’s a constant flood of new faces coming into the room every day. Everybody is humble, too, because in order to get a black belt, a brown belt, or a purple belt, you need to get your ass kicked a lot.

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
― William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well

Most people are good people. I believe that now. I tend to be really quiet and close myself off from other human beings. However that’s no way to build great friendships. Trust other people more. 

When you give everyone a chance, and assume they have your best interests at heart, your relationships will improve dramatically.

How To Change Your Life Around (Cliff’s Notes Version)

In summary, here’s how to change your life completely..

1. Practice something new for 60 minutes per day.
2. Believe that you can make any situation better.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Don’t take things personally.
5. Wake up at or before 7 AM every day.
6. Give everyone a chance.

These guidelines are mostly for spiritual growth, not achievement. To change our lives, we need to change our souls first. We need to learn new things, break bad habits, start good ones, give ourselves more time, have confidence, and give everyone around us a chance.

Good habits are the key.

In short, that’s how to change your life.