Creative Outlet - a blog full of stories and personal musings

My 7 Tips to Life

It is really easy to tell others how to live their lives, so that is what I am going to do. These are essential guidelines that have helped me throughout my life and hopefully will make you feel better and more accomplished about yourself and your life.

ONE

Develop your own identity. There is nothing more uninteresting than talking to a person, who is an exact replica of the current fashion going around. You will seem shallow and just plain out boring. Believe it or not, but it is really easy to develop your own identity. Just be yourself and do what YOU feel is comfortable. Do not  say or do anything you do not wish to. Wear clothes you want to wear and not what everyone else want you to. Eventually, you will become a more rounded person, with personality! If you are still at a loss how to do this, then I will suggest a few things:

• Listen to some different kind of music, than you normally would. Believe it or not, but a lot of people take music for granted and just listen to what is on the radio and what is cool and hip. Music is very important, mainly because it can shape you as a person but also because it can really get to you, both emotionally but also as a motivational factor. I write while listening to music, I enjoy listening to. Words just come easier that way. Change the channel from MTV to another music channel that specializes in alternative music, maybe check out all the free internet radios online or go to a concert with an unknown band down at the local bar or cafe, ask a close friend to a music talk. You might be surprised, just how much music suddenly means to you and how much it changed your view on life. Music is truly a lifestyle.
• Go down to the local library. Yes, they do exist. Go to the craft/hobby section and just scan it through. Anything you find interesting, you pick up and read a bit in it. If it sounds absolutely fantastic, then lend it or read it while at the library. Start doing these hobbies, which will occupy both your time and your mind, plus it makes you more confident in yourself and your skills.
• The most important bit is very simple, but very hard to follow: Be yourself. I know I described it earlier, but it is really the most important bit about finding yourself. If you truly need more clarification than that, I will give a few examples. The group of friends you usually hang around with wants to go to McDonalds to eat. You tell them, that you rather feel like having sandwiches at Subway or maybe want to be more classy and go to a café. Congratulations, you just uttered your opinion and you became just a bit closer to being a more refined person. Amazing. Never be afraid of saying YOUR opinion. You will feel a lot more comfortable saying that, than having to constantly think about what THEY want to hear you say.

TWO

Do not overuse heavy words like "love". Love is a big word that, for a lot of people, causes a huge emotional reaction. It is also a word that has caused a lot of conflicts, ended friendships, relationships and a lot of misunderstanding. Why? Because it is often used in a wrong context or understood in a completely different way. Not many people understand what exactly it implies, means or the word's intention in the current situation, too. Let's whip out good old Wikipedia to explain the sentimentals of it:

Love is any of a number of emotions related to a sense of strong affection and attachment.

My personal opinion is that, you should never really use "love" to or for a person until you are absolutely positive that you have such an emotional attachment and feeling towards them. It is perfectly fine to say you love a certain kind of food, item or other things, however. A lot of other words are also implied in this.

THREE

Keep a box for your memories. I do not mean literally, just the objects that give you memories, good or bad. Nothing is so bad that it is not good for something. Believe it or not, but your memories will often shape who you are, so you should truly embrace them instead of trying to forget or ignore them. Putting them in a box means that you have moved past it and can now continue on with your life. As an example, my box contains cards from my ex-girlfriend as well as some items from my father, who has passed away. There is no point letting such objects and items get to you in your normal day.

FOUR

Take chances. There is nothing worse than looking back at "what could have been", if you had just taken that chance or done something differently. This advice is also an extension of the first one, as you should always do something you want to do, not what others wants to. Obviously, taking a chance can have a risk or consequences but, personally, I believe it is better to have taken a chance, as it gives you a sort of a feeling of accomplishment. Beware, certain chances should not be taken - so it is up to your own judgement. Quotes are always amazing:

"Of all the people I have ever known, those who have pursued their dreams and failed have lived a much more fulfilling life than those who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure."

FIVE

Tell people what you feel, before it's too late. I do not mean to be a mood killer, but there is nothing worse than having a lot on your chest you want to tell someone, and suddenly he/she is gone. Maybe passed away, moved away or generally just disappeared out of your life. You will suddenly sit there with a lot of unsaid things, that might have patched up a strained relationship, created another type of friendship/relationship or set them in their rightful place. If you are not comfortable doing this in person, then write it to them. Maybe your feelings are also easier to write down on paper.

SIX

Exercise. No matter how stupid it sounds, you will always feel better after having exercised. It's about chemicals your brain releases, so you cannot really supplement it. The most important thing is to find a motivation for you to exercise or maybe just find something, you enjoy doing. Motivational factors are many and they are sometimes hard to come by, but they are often what will keep you going, when the couch looks sexier than the bike or the running shoes. Motivation can be that maybe you just want to look more fit, maybe you want to impress someone, challenge yourself, be healthy or other things. To find the sport is as easy as looking at yourself. If you are really competitive person, join up for some team-based game where you play in a league. Hate teams? Go to table tennis, tennis, badminton among other things. Like being by yourself? Grab a MP3 player and just run/bike out into the nature. Like structured exercise? Join the local fitness center and make yourself a program. You do not need to have a goal for exercising, as it - in itself - gives you an amazing feeling - but some people will feel an ever greater accomplishment. Set a goal if you need to, but just enjoy the journey there, else you will not feel like continuing.

SEVEN

Keep a tidy life. A lot of frustration and concentration issues can often be traced back to how you live. Look around you at your home/room/desk. Is there trash, unsorted papers? Does it look unorganized and is it just killing you? Would you feel comfortable letting a close friend in, while it looked like this? It does not take a long time to clean up and make a place look great, plus it takes minimal effort to keep everything clean, as long as you take your time with things and not just throw them away from you at the closest, most convenient place. When everything is sorted, you will feel great and have room, both in your thoughts, but also in your home. Then you can start sorting out everything. Make use of post-its, to-do lists and calendars in order to organize yourself further. Believe me, when you have done this, you can start thinking about what really matters. Remember to do, what you write down on your to-do list. Reduce distractions, especially if you plan on being productive and creative. I know it is great to have something "going" in the background while you do your work, homework or other important things, but it is a huge distraction, if there is a visual aspect to it - so turn off that TV, among other things. Put on some music, preferably something you want to listen to (So turn off the radio) and just let it flow. If you are one to get sucked into the lyrics, then go for something instrumental instead. With all of this, you will find that your thoughts flow a lot better.

I have more I want to write, but it will just be an endless list. Take it, for what it is. Hopefully it will make you think a bit and maybe help you out, in your life.

Related posts:

1. Update on Life
2. A Status Update on Life