When you want to change your life, and you’re truly committed to it, it will happen.
Over the past several years I have been on a personal development journey. I’ve moved from a fixed “woe is me” mindset, to one of abundance and positivity. A large part of this, you will not be surprised to learn, has been down to daily practice.
In this piece, I’d like to share with you how my daily 30 minute bus commute has helped and can also help you change your life for the better, and how you can use similar techniques in your own time to improve your life.
Change you life by going in the wrong direction
For years I hated the commute. Slow traffic, stop signs, delays. It seemed to take forever, and if I was being totally honest with myself, I didn’t even want to get into work anyway. I lacked purpose, and the frustrations of my commute only exacerbated that sense of pointlessness.
It’s fair to say that much was out of alignment in my life.
I realised that something had to change. I learned that to become the person I wanted to be – that empowered, purposeful person who had a positive impact on the world – I would need to start behaving as such. As is well understood in spiritual circles, the external is an expression of the internal. Therefore, the things I thought, the way I felt and how I behaved needed to change in order to have that impact on the outside.
What does it really take to change your life, though?
Life is busy and stressful for many people. We often don’t prioritise our needs – at least not in a healthy way – and as such we’re so often disconnected from ourselves in a fundamental way. I learned that to figure out what I needed to do to be happy, I would need to reconnect with myself and my own needs.
The most convenient time for me to do this was on my 30 minute bus commute into the town. What began as a weary, frustrating journey that sapped my energy turned into a wonderful, calming experience that set me up for the day. Here is what I did:
4 Powerful Ways to Change Your Life in Just 30 Minutes a Day
1. Change your life by reading non-fiction books
For me, learning is everything. I absolutely love to absorb new knowledge, and I do this from reading books. I tend to take books from the local library. This way I know that I’m not contributing to more stuff being made, and it saves money, too. But the most important part about reading is putting what you learn into practice. It’s so easy to read, nod enthusiastically then forget. Here are a few ideas to help knowledge stick:
- If it’s your own book, mark important passages with a highlighter pen
- If it’s a library book, note down the passages that resonate with you in your phone/on a notepad
- Read and re-read the passage aloud to yourself to help affix it into memory
- Put the idea into practice as soon as you can in order to make sure that what you learn translates into impact
I read every day and it has expanded my mind, increased my focus and helped me in my communication with others.
2. Listen to self-improvement podcasts
I use my Spotify account for this, but there are plenty of other podcasting libraries out there. I simply searched for “motivational” or “self-improvement” content and plenty of options came back. The Mindset Mentor and The Positive Mindset Podcast are two of my favourites.
As with reading, it’s important to retain and act on the information given. Listen to the podcast again to help the information sink in. Note down actions you’ll take as a result. If you want to seriously make your 30 minutes count, it’s all about taking action.
3. Change your life by being mindful
Mindfulness is a proven practice to help calm the mind and improve mood. Some days, it comes more easily to me than others. But doing this on the bus, particularly when sitting upstairs, can be very soothing. The bus will gently rock as it tumbles down the street.
Feel your body sway, hear the engine chugging along. By tuning into your environment in the here and now, you can give your mind a break from worrying about the day ahead. I tend to do this only for 5 minutes, but find that’s enough to give me a little reset and lift my mood.
4. Change your life by taking the easier route
Do you know what is most interesting about this journey (both figuratively and literally) to me? Nothing has really changed. Same bus, same time. But by changing what I do during that commute, everything else has changed. I could grumble about the bus being too busy and hitting red lights, or I could accept that I have no control over this and meditate instead.
I could expend a tonne of energy complaining, or I could learn and apply new information.
Change Your Life
It is so simple to change your life.
Most people have no idea how easy it actually is. What can you do to replace bad energy with positive, uplifting energy?
Write down some ideas and start today. Change one small thing, and note how it impacts other aspects of your life. Follow that journey, and you’ll change your life.
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Matt Saunders
Matt is a coach for freelancers and a writer from the UK. He loves supporting people in the creative sector to define their goals, realise their dreams and build better lives. Follow him on LinkedIn and be sure to connect if this article resonated with you.
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