- Open two bank accounts, one for necessities and one so you can save for the “fun stuff” in life.
- Do a serious spring cleaning on your whole life at least once a year. Clear out old items from your house, old ideas from your mind, and old habits that no longer serve you.
- Make a list of the ten things that make you deep down, dancing-around-the-living-room happy.
- Buy one cookbook that inspires you and cook your way through it over the course of a year.
- Learn to change a car tire, even if you don’t have a car.
- Do one thing a day that makes you laugh out loud.
- Learn to read a paper map correctly.
- Learn to drive a manual transmission car.
- Learn how to make an omelet.
- Take two minutes and dance around your kitchen at least once a week.
- Go for a walk and simply listen to what the world really sounds like.
- Spend 2 minutes each day appreciating the sky.
- Learn to read a compass.
- Learn to read a ruler.
- Learn a foreign language.
- Pay for a stranger’s coffee or tea.
- Hold the door open for a stranger and smile.
- Cut yourself some slack when you are having a really bad day.
- Have at least one really good, sharp knife in your kitchen.
- Learn to sew.
- Read a poem out loud once a week.
- Sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs.
- Own a decent jacket.
- Toss out socks with holes in them (or learn to darn them).
- Clear out any clothes you haven’t worn in 2 years.
- Be willing to be silly.
- Laugh at yourself.
- Trust your intuition.
- Learn one new fact every week.
- Don’t let laundry or frustrations pile up.
- Splash in the nearest stream, pond, ocean, or lake.
- Take yourself on a date.
- Write a love letter to yourself.
- Clear out clothes that make you feel like someone else.
- Let your home be a haven.
- Buy flowers for yourself.
- Treat yourself to something that makes you giggle and costs less than $5.00.
- Put away electronics at least one hour before bedtime, for better sleep.
- Make S’mores for absolutely no reason.
- Get the T.V. or screen out of your bedroom.
- Trust that who you are is worthy of love.
- Create a “Joy Jar” of daily accomplishments.
- Finger-paint.
- Invite a friend for a walk, bike ride, or hike.
- Bundle up, bring hot cocoa, and sit on a beach in winter.
- Do one thing that stretches your mind every day.
- Stretch your body for five minutes every day.
- Practice push-ups until you can easily do 50 without stopping.
- Change your toothbrush every six months.
- Have one computer-free day every week.
- Stop working weekends.
- Don’t talk baby-talk to kids.
- If something feels impossible, break it down into smaller action steps.
- Learn to be alone. Practice until you can happily be alone for a day or more.
- Trim your eyebrows.
- Don’t wear shoes you can’t walk a mile in.
- Give yourself 72 hours before you try to solve a problem.
- Be gracious to yourself and others.
- Allow yourself an extra fifteen minutes to get anywhere.
- Be five minutes early for meetings.
- Be fifteen minutes late for dinner parties.
- Don’t bring chips of any kind to a potluck.
- Change your socks.
- Find a color that makes you happy and wear it more often.
- Dance while you walk your dog.
- Lie under the stars once a week.
- Practice holding elbow plank pose for at least two minutes a day.
- Take seven minutes of deep inhaling and exhaling before you get out of bed in the morning.
- Let yourself sleep in at least once a week.
- Go to a county fair and ride the Ferris wheel and carousel.
- Remember you don’t have to fix everything.
- Don’t share personal news or information that isn’t yours.
- Let your friends know you value them.
- Don’t ghost people.
- Invite someone on a picnic.
- Set aside some money each week, even if it’s $10.00, then invest it after six months. Repeat twice a year.
- Watch more comedy.
- Have a civil conversation with someone you disagree with and really listen.
- Blow soap bubbles.
- Remember you are the creator of your own happiness.
- Choose work that you love and that excites something in you.
- If you are bored at work, find some way to make it more interesting, challenging and productive.
- Cook dinner for friends.
- If you hate cooking, then throw a potluck gathering.
- Not everything needs a response.
- Be generous and honest with your praise.
- Take time each day to name one thing that went well that day.
- Treat your family and friends with respect.
- Be creative in problem-solving.
- Remember, your romantic partner is not your “be-all-and-end-all,” they are human.
- No job is beneath you.
- Whatever you do, give it your all, every time.
- Life is messy, the messier the more alive.
- Grief is personal—take your time and find your own way through it, no matter what everyone around you thinks.
- Substitute fruit for sugary snacks.
- Allow yourself to be surprised.
- Ask, “What’s the best that could happen?”
- Check in with how you are feeling.
- Keep your daily “to-do” list to three items.
- Write yourself a love note on your bathroom mirror.
- Tell one person a day something you appreciate about them.
- Try one new thing a month even if it’s an epic failure.
- Learn to balance on one foot with your eyes closed.
- Wash your face, brush your teeth and fix your hair every day.
- Socks don’t have to match every time.
- Toss holey underwear.
- Try not to spend any money for a day, a week, or a month.
- Face your fears—they are not silly, but they might be getting in your way.
- Write a personal mission statement.
- Clearly define your top five personal core values.
- Learn to apologize thoughtfully.
- Don’t make excuses.
- Stop saying “just.”
- Be considerate and open doors for others.
- Own your mistakes.
- Failure leads to success when you keep working
- Pick up trash when you are out walking.
- Have an ice cream.
- Be honest and tactful.
- Thank yourself daily for something you did.
- Get enough sleep, whatever “enough” is for you.
- Take a vacation of some kind, even if it’s one day.
- Breathe deeply when waves of strong emotions overtake you.
- Practice seeing the people you know well as though for the first time.
- Ask yourself how you can respect yourself in one specific action each day.
- Replace “but” with “and…” and see what happens.
- Remember you don’t have to say yes to everything.
- Meet problems gently, and head-on.
- Accept compliments wholeheartedly.
- Learn to listen and compromise.
- Lean into your own strengths.
- Remember all the experiences you have gathered in life.
- Don’t ask “Why?” Ask “What?” or “How?”
- Think of ten things you’re grateful for and name them out loud.
- Write a letter of gratitude to someone and read it or send it to them.
- Learn the lyrics to a new song.
- Volunteer to help someone this week.
- Allow courage to surface.
- Being vulnerable is a strength.
- Learn to whistle.
- Pay attention to what your heart truly wants to create.
- Find a new route to work or for your next dog walk.
- Meet at least one other person for socializing each week.
- Create a ritual for yourself to release old habits that don’t serve you.
- Buy a helium balloon, smile, and give it to the first person you meet.
- Explore something near where you live, that is totally unknown to you.
- Take an art class—even if you think you aren’t artistic.
- Grab a friend and go to a new social meet-up.
- Trust that we get to be silly and most people won’t even notice.
- Give up caffeine for a week and see how you feel.
- Learn to type better.
- Put at least one game on your smartphone.
- Practice forward folds so you can touch your toes easily every morning.
- Take a one-minute cold shower every day.
- Get a pedicure at least once in your life.
- Get a really fancy manicure at least once in your life.
- Treat yourself to a hotel breakfast even if it’s in the town you live in.
- Travel at least 300 miles from where you live once a year.
- Get a physical check-up once a year.
- Check your vitamin D levels.
- Remember that everyone looks weird on video calls at one point or another.
- Dress to impress yourself.
- Write a poem.
- Keep a gratitude journal for a month and notice what changes in your life.
- Use moisturizer and sunblock 365 days a year, even if you are inside most of the day.
- Wake up to a song you love and dance while brushing your teeth.
- Bike or walk to work if you can.
- Find something to laugh at every day.
- Enjoy sex.
- Trust your heart.
- Clean behind your fridge and oven.
- Try time-blocking your weekly schedule to better balance work and fun.
- Forgive your parents.
- Forgive yourself.
- Wear something that makes you feel amazing at least once a week.
- Train your puppy.
- Don’t mix light and dark clothes in the wash.
- Smile at strangers
- Read a book for fun at least once every two months.
- Buy flowers at the grocery store and hand them to the person who checks out after you.
- Accept that no one is perfect.
- Ask your friends to tell you five things they love about you.
- Tell your friends six things you love about them.
- Don’t argue when someone compliments you.
- Remember, guilt moves us to action, shame stops us in our tracks.
- You are not your parents.
- Choose what life you want to create for yourself.
- When you get stuck, ask yourself what you’d advise your BFF to do.
- Practice handstands.
- Let yourself enjoy life.
- Have a pocket knife and corkscrew handy.
- Forgive your siblings.
- Remember that you are responsible for your own happiness.
- Let others be who they are.
- If your dog barks for more than eight minutes, bring her inside.
- Plant wildflowers wherever you can.
- Do something that scares you a bit, every six months.
- If you think you can’t… you won’t.
- Ask for more hugs.
- Let your heart shine big and bright in the world, whatever that looks like for you!
📕 If you enjoyed this – You can find more inside my book, No Plaid Suits: How Not to Have a Boring, Normal Life.
🤩 Click to Check out the Resilience Toolkit Online Course
