Your Quality of Life Depends of Two Big Things

Two of the most important factors that will determine your quality of life are:

1. Your Health
2. Your Relationships

Your health is an obvious factor. It’s very difficult to have a high quality of life if your struggling with health issues (How did the flu affect your quality of life last time you had it?). While not all of them can be avoided, studies show that around 80% of the chronic diseases we deal with in the U.S. are lifestyle related. That means we could avoid most of them by changing what we eat and getting some excercise. I’ve found the more fruits and vegetables I eat, the more I crave them. Make a habit of eating well and excercising and your body will return the favor by giving you energy and a sense of well-being. Try it. If you stick with it through the first 30 days, you’re well on your way to making it a habit.

Next are our relationships. What is the quality of your life if you surround yourself with negative people? What affect does a toxic friendship have on your peace of mind? What kind of mood were you in after you last fight with your spouse? 85% of the joy that we experience in life is based on relationships. That statistic has always interested me because most of us don’t give our relationships the care and attention they need.  Our tendency is to let them operate on auto-pilot, which at some point is likely to carry them off course. Put some time, care and focus into your relationships and see what effect the extra attention has on your quality of your life. Just a few words of affection and support to your spouse and your kids can go a LONG way. Setting aside time to in your schedule to show your friends and family they are a priority also goes a long way in ensuring a strong, healthy bond with them. Healthy relationships will do wonders for your quality of life.

In what ways, today, can you begin improving how you care for your health and the most important people in your life?

Let Your Someday be Today.

I once heard a message by my pastor and good friend, Pete Wilson, on the danger of using the word “someday” too much. It really struck a chord with me. If you use the word “someday” often when you’re talking about your future plans, those plans probably will stay just dreams; they’ll never happen. How often have you said these things?

“Someday I’ll take more time off.”

“Someday I’ll start jogging.”

“Someday I’ll pray more.”

“Someday I’ll say I’m sorry.”

“Someday I’ll give more.”

“Someday I’ll save more money.”

“Someday I’ll follow my dreams.”

“Someday I’ll stop drinking.”

“Someday I’ll eat better.”

“Someday I’ll be a better parent.”

“Someday I’ll be a better spouse.”

“Someday I’ll be the person I know I can be.”

Most of the time, “somedays” never come. They stay out just ahead of us in the future. We become comfortable with saying, “someday.” It’s easier to say it than it is to do what you know you should.

Don’t let “someday” rule your life. Don’t let it become the norm. Fight the urge to say it over and over. Figure out how to turn “someday I’ll…” into “Today I’m…” Stop thinking that a better life is always in the future. You can take your first steps to your changing your life today. All it takes is movement forward. You don’t have to do it all in one fail swoop – just take one step. Once you do, you’ll begin to feel the momentum. The more steps you take, the clearer your path will become. The difference between “someday” being a dream and a reality is action.

You have the choice. Make today the day your “somedays” start to happen.

What’s your biggest “someday” and what’s the one step you can take today to move toward making it reality?