5 ways to make your life richer
Whether taking a weekend-long digital detox or waking up an hour earlier, discover the simple yet effective steps that can make a wealth of difference
As the saying goes, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves — sound financial theory can also be applied to the personal experience of a rich life.
You don’t have to ditch your job or head off round the world in order to improve how you feel inside. There’s no need to completely reassess your day-to-day; to make huge changes that interfere with your everyday activities. It’s the little things that matter: interesting, fun, yet relatively tiny tweaks that can contribute a significant difference to your experiential wealth. Small changes really can add up to make big differences. So why not give some of these suggestions a try? You may just find yourself living a richer life…
1. Meditate
This doesn’t have to mean going to extremes, signing up to a couple of months in an Indian ashram. Meditation can be simple and effective. There are numerous apps, teaching tools and beginners’ courses — some involving mantras, others just focusing on the breath. But all can help with achieving that rare thing of being in the moment. Once practised for a while, life becomes immeasurably richer: you develop the ability to stop and stare, and be honest to your own feelings.
2. Wake up earlier
The benefits of getting up earlier in order to spend some focused time on yourself can pay off. Getting up an hour before your usual alarm is a great way to break the cycle of rushing into work: it gives some time to think, to exercise, to focus on what you want out of life — and how to get it. Decide on goals, write down practical ways of getting them, then deploy your extra hour wisely. It also means you don’t wait until after you’ve given all your best hours at work to start a hobby or passion.
3. Mix it up
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut — simple things such as standing in the same spot for the train every day or having the same lunch. Consciously varying things can have surprisingly big results, whether it’s getting off the bus one stop early to have a walk and consciously take in your surroundings, or starting to pursue a new hobby in your lunch break. So grab your two best friends and take a day out to do something new or visit somewhere different.
4. Turn off the phone
Barely a week goes by without a report outlining the effects of too much screen time — and escaping the bubble of your phone to do something more fulfilling is an exercise we can all do. There can be a vague sense of anxiety to a “digital detox” — but set aside that fear of missing out on a tweet or a message, and put it away for the morning, then a day, then a whole weekend. You’ll engage better with those around you, and appreciate the wider world with more face-to-face time.
5. Be thankful
There is as much satisfaction to be found in the journey as at the destination. Taking a step back and applying gratitude at every possible moment is also important — try not to be in such a rush to get somewhere that you don’t appreciate what lies along the way. And on your journey, make sure that you take time out and celebrate the good times over a beer with your friends.
Discover the San Miguel Rich List and how to live a richer life at sanmiguelrichlist.independent.co.uk
Enjoy responsibly. For the facts, see drinkaware.co.uk